Wrexham optician Eyecadia celebrates three years of bespoke eyewear, eyewear styling, sports glasses and colour analysis.
Most opticians simply don’t have time to help you find glasses that truly suit you. However, one independent Wrexham optician has built a business around doing exactly that. Now celebrating three years in business, Eyecadia offers bespoke eyewear, eyewear styling, sports eyewear and colour analysis under one roof.
What Is Eyewear Styling?
Buying glasses often feels rushed, but appointments at Eyecadia work very differently. When you arrive, owner Kerry Fisher locks the door and puts the kettle on. As a result, every appointment gives you time, attention and advice tailored entirely to you.
Eyewear styling suits anyone new to glasses or anyone who wants a complete overhaul of their look. It also appeals to people who want solid advice and a different kind of experience. In short, it takes the guesswork out of choosing frames.
Once you book, you receive a Google form that asks about your personal style. For example, it covers how you dress for work, what you wear on a night out and what feels comfortable. It even asks about your taste in jewellery and shoes, so Kerry can start planning early.
Your Personal Eyewear Wardrobe
Using your answers, Kerry builds an “eyewear wardrobe” before you even arrive. On the day, she also studies your face shape, skin colour, eyebrow arch and cheekbones. Then, combining the questionnaire with these observations, Kerry curates a final collection for you to try.
Typically, Eyecadia presents at least three frames: an easy-going everyday option, a bold choice and a few wild cards. According to Kerry, these recommendations hit the mark around 99% of the time. Still, some clients decide they want something completely different from their usual look, and that’s part of the fun.
Next, the appointment moves on to your hobbies, interests and working life. By understanding how you’ll use your glasses, Kerry can recommend the right lenses. Finally, a Nikon digital measurement system records your measurements to ensure complete accuracy.
Premium Lenses from Nikon and Hoya
Eyecadia dispenses Nikon and Hoya lenses because both sit at the premium end of the market. Since the Nikon lenses are premium, they also come with a premium measurement system. As a result, you can trust that your lenses match your eyes precisely.
Colour Analysis: Find Your Season
Customers often ask Kerry which colours suit them best. So, rather than guessing, she trained as a colour analyst to give them a proper answer. Now you can book a session to discover whether you’re a spring, summer, autumn or winter.
First, you answer some questions about your genetics and your personality. After that, you sit in front of a mirror while Kerry holds different coloured drapes up to you. Each drape changes how your skin tone, skin texture, hair, eyes and lips look, revealing your season.
Evil Eye: Premium Austrian Sports Eyewear
The sports eyewear service follows a similar process to eyewear styling. However, instead of discussing your style, Kerry takes a deep dive into your sport or hobby. From there, she recommends the best frame and lens combination for how you play.
For sports eyewear, Kerry uses Evil Eye, a premium family-run brand from Austria. The brand sits at the top end of the sports performance eyewear market. Moreover, some of its frames suit certain sports better than others, so expert advice really matters.
Alongside the frame, you also get a lens combination that complements both the frame and your sport. That way, every element works together when you’re training or competing.
There are three different ways to put your prescription into a sports frame. The right option depends on your budget, how high your prescription is and how often you’ll change lenses. Consequently, Kerry talks you through each choice so you can decide with confidence.
Bespoke Eyewear from Feb31st
Eyecadia stocks two bespoke eyewear ranges, and the first is Feb31st. This Italian brand handcrafts wooden frames in Bergamo, in the north of Italy. Remarkably, it offers more than 200 styles in around 150 colours.
First, Kerry takes all your facial measurements while you choose your favourite shape. Next, she orders the frame to your exact measurements, and together you pick a colour. You might choose a rainbow finish, plain old teak or anything in between.
You can also add engravings to your Feb31st frame. In fact, Kerry made a wooden pair for Wrexham AFC CEO Michael Williamson, complete with a small Welsh dragon. So, next time you see him, keep an eye out for his glasses!
Stories in the Wood
Because of the craftsmanship involved, Feb31st frames sit at a premium price point of £400 to £800. The brand also offers a metal range, although it doesn’t allow as much creativity with engravings. Even so, the metal frames come in beautiful neon colours, so they’re perfect if neon is your thing.
One special Feb31st wood, Stormfire, comes from a storm that hit the Dolomites and felled millions of trees. Instead of letting the timber go to waste, the region passed it on to local businesses, including Feb31st. As a result, you can now wear a piece of the Dolomites on your glasses.
Another Feb31st design incorporates tree bark from a village in Uganda, where women decorate the bark with coloured paint. They strip the bark, let it grow back and repeat the process before finally retiring the tree to nature. This makes the material completely sustainable, and the income it generates supports the whole village.
Kauri Wood: 48,000 Years in the Making
The favourite Feb31st wood at Eyecadia, and sadly the most expensive, is ancient kauri. This wood comes from deep underground in New Zealand, where it has aged for around 48,000 years. It feels really soft, and it has a stunning natural beauty.
A kauri wood frame retails for around £800. Because the wood is so special, Kerry doesn’t add any colour to it. Instead, the frames stay plain and unique to highlight the wood’s natural beauty and incredible age.
FebArt and House of Spectacles
With FebArt, you can print a favourite picture or piece of writing on the front of your frame. For instance, customers have chosen their children’s handprints and poems they love. Meanwhile, two frames in the shop feature designs by artist Sophie Nina, and they look absolutely stunning.
The second bespoke brand, House of Spectacles, makes handmade acetate frames in London. It offers more than 50 shapes in over 50 colourways. Like Feb31st, it gives you plenty of choice, but it goes even further on fit.
With House of Spectacles, Kerry can measure across your bridge and record your temple length and width. Using these details, she builds a bespoke pair that fits you absolutely spot on. Each pair takes around four weeks to make by hand, which is slightly quicker than Feb31st.
Finishing Touches and Iris Photography
To complete your look, the shop also sells funky glasses chains. You’ll find hand-knitted spectacle cases there too. Together, these small extras make your new glasses feel even more personal.
Eyecadia has also teamed up with Rob Kerman Photography to offer iris capture photos. Rob photographs your iris and turns the image into a stunning, large piece of artwork. After a soft launch, the service will launch fully in time for Christmas.
You can choose an explosion effect, a collision design or a plain and simple image of your eye. Ultimately, the choice is entirely yours, and it makes a gorgeous gift.
Independent, Family-Run and Sustainable Brands
Every frame brand at Eyecadia is independent, family-run or sustainable. So, you won’t find any huge conglomerates on the shelves. Even Moscot, one of the bigger names, remains a family business based in America.
Anyone can buy standard frames and lenses from a high-street optician. However, the services at Eyecadia take time, and you won’t find them anywhere else locally. Since Kerry runs the practice part-time, it’s worth booking ahead.
Visit Eyecadia
You’ll find Eyecadia at Unit 10B, Butchers Market, High Street, Wrexham LL13 8HP. To book, call 07572 226742, email [email protected] or visit eyecadia.co.uk.
We hope you enjoyed reading about Eyecadia’s bespoke eyewear and styling services. Click here for more articles about Talk of the Town.
