Rihanna, rapper Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Katy Perry, Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams are all hooked on vintage eyeglass frames, and there’s only one purveyor cool enough to know.
At just 28, Corey Shapiro has established himself as the go-to guy for everyone from stylists to frame companies to the celebrities themselves. In Shapiro’s case, vintage doesn’t mean used. He scours the world for unworn, dead stock from the 1950s to the 1980s that is pristine.
While it may be hard to believe there is ample back stock to obtain, Shapiro says the frames hail from an era before discount stores would buy up manufacturers’ overstock. So he has found perfectly good frames just sitting there. Shapiro’s frames start at about $500 and go up to $25,000 for a pair of 24-carat gold and genuine buffalo horn Dunhill frames.
The challenge in sourcing these kinds of vintage frames is what makes the prices high, he says. Shapiro has just begun selling some products online and has partnered with stores in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. www.vintageframescompany.com
