Meet Him: Des, Eyeglass Fashion Expert

Meet Him

This is Des.

Des is the Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Eyeglass World.

Born in Oldham, Lancashire, England, Des moved to America 12 years ago.

He has over 40 years of experience, working as CEO for Optoplast PLC, the Commercial Director for Dollond & Altchison and Store Development Director of Vision Express. He holds a F.B.D.O degree in Optical Dispensing from City College in London.

Des loves the culture and the attitude of America (and the fact that America does bad food really, really well.) He thought he’d see a lapse in fashion but to his surprise, the U.S. is definitely an equivalent to England, and sometimes America is actually a fashion leader.

Des got into the eyewear industry by chance, but his interest in fashion has always been there. He owns about 30 pairs of eyeglasses and attends all kinds of optical and fashion shows around the world. His favorites are: Mido Eyewear Exhibition in Milan, Italy and Vision Expo in New York. He also been known to attend London Fashion Week.

Des describes his general style as eclectic, but his favorite style in eyeglasses is definitely retro. His fashion expertise stems from his experience, youthful outlook and interest in the mainstream of life (or as it’s said in German – Zietgeist)

When choosing a pair of specs for himself, Des looks for something different, something cutting edge. And of course, a great fit.

His one piece of advice: Don’t play it safe. Say something with your glasses. Women (and some men) own 50 pairs of shoes and only one pair of eyeglasses, but what do people notice first? Your eyeglasses.