An appreciation of materials has led to unique eyewear design.
While, at eyeclarity, we love our international brands, there is nothing better than home-grown style. It feels almost patriotic to own an Australian made product and there is something unique about Australian fashion that is fresh, sharp and entirely of its own design. It represents everything we love about this country from the landscape to the spirit of multiculturalism. Fritz frames are quintessentially Australian from their design to their manufacturing and we are excited to introduce the collection to our range at eyeclarity.
ritz Schwarz was born in Germany on Rugen Island on the Baltic Sea. As a child he found he was always breaking things and every time he did, he was taught to fix things himself. He worked as a wooden boat builder and this trade has been the inspiration of what he does today.
After marrying an Australia exchange student while in Rugen and migrating to the Sunshine Coast, Fritz set to work building their home and furniture, and soon also began building furniture for friends and family. As he settled into his new life, the next few years saw him take on a series of jobs that indulged his artisanal skills – building fittings for a multi-million-dollar yacht in Perth, as well as starting his own business building and selling wooden kite boards.
Often working he would break his glasses but he still had the lenses so he went about making his own glasses firstly out of carbon fibre and they were a great success lasting for 5 years.
“They had no hinges, so they couldn’t really break, and they had a string attached to the back so they were great for sailing and diving.”
Admiring his original creations, Fritz’s wife Mary requested that he make her a similar pair of glasses, but this time from wood. Pondering the conundrum momentarily, he solved it by crafting a carbon-fibre frame with a wooden veneer. Mary quickly began receiving compliments about her homemade eyewear and sensed a business opportunity and Fritz frames were born in 2010.
Fritz aim has been to make a unique and beautiful optical and sunglass collection that celebrate majestic materials. He said, “Creating glasses enriches my life with beauty and meaning, two of life’s essential rewards”. His appreciation and respect of the Australian timber which he uses in his frames is a testament to the love and dedication he has put in to developing his craft.
Fritz was extremely skilled with wood work and in 2010 he set out to make unique and beautiful optical and sunglass frames that celebrated this majestic material. He said, “Creating glasses enriches my life with beauty and meaning, two of life’s essential rewards”. His appreciation and respect of the Australian timber which he uses in his frames is a testament to the love and dedication he has put in to developing his craft.
Fritz frames are made using up to 15 layers of locally sourced timber materials and are either kept natural or are hand dyed in the workshop in Queensland. They are meticulously hand sanded and then the Fritz frames are coated with a hardened, protective material which enables them to withstand exposure to UV-rays, sunscreen, make-up and water making them perfect for everyday wear. Each frame takes up to 10 hours to make and only around 50 frames are produced each month, all with the trademark hand finishing.
Just by looking at these frames you can see the rich history of the timber and the uncompromising standard of the Fritz process which maintains the integrity of the original material. The frames are robust and strong, while having a refined, modern and ornate style. The timeless style of natural materials means that these products will always be current, exceptional and representative of the unique Australian aesthetic.
All these frames can be customised and individually mad in colours, size and shape to the shape of a person’s face and the individual fitting requirements which makes them the ultimate in comfort , fit and design.
Why we at eyeclarity love Fritz frames: