At Unik, the eys have it

EYEGLASSES CAN change your appearance significantly, and handcrafted specs in classy, retro frames can turn you into an entirely different person. Try on some of the bold designs at Unik, a shop in Siam Square, and you might not recognise the person in the mirror.

Pattarapun Riewthongthavee has filled a gap in this niche market by turning her collector’s hobby into a business. She started selling her own imported glasses at a small place in Siam Vintage in 2011 and, when that mall closed two years later, moved to her current spot at the Lido Theatre. 

The decor is simple but smart, a black ceiling offset by a large glass wall, and, rather amusingly, the shelves take the form of spectacles too. 

Pattarapun is Thailand’s exclusive distributor of nine brands – True Vintage Revival, Garrett Leight California Optical and Tart Optical Enterprise from the US; Hardy Amies London and OG X Oliver Goldsmith from Britain; and Enalloid, Yellows Plus, Ayame and Effector from Japan. 

“I love collecting eyeglasses, but even just a few years ago there weren’t many choices in the Thai market – I did all my buying online,” she says. “I’d quit my old job, wanting to open my own business, something completely different from anything else. And I’d noticed how vintage eyewear had become trendy, with even Hollywood superstars like Johnny Depp wearing them. 

“I started out with just three brands – Tart, Garett Leight and Effector – which have all since become famous for their mix of vintage and streetwear designs. Now I have a lot of brands on offer and I can guarantee the quality of all of them.” 

The quality derives from skilled handcrafting with time-tested techniques and tools, particularly the makes from Japan. From America, meanwhile, Tart’s round acetate-and-celluloid frames are quite striking, while the 504 edition from True Vintage Revival is clearly a nod to the 1950s, with multiple joints in the frames and again using cellulose acetate – as most manufacturers do now since it’s hypoallergenic as well as tough.

OG X Oliver Goldsmith, the latest incarnation of an esteemed firm founded in 1926, offers double-layer frames in which titanium strengthens the acetate. Enalloid transforms its old-fashioned acetate frames with various pastel shades, and the chic, lightweight frames from Yellows Plus are rendered more durable by melding metal to the acetate. 

The Maryland line of sunglasses from Hardy Amies London was first introduced two years ago, what you might call a “terribly English” antique style made all the more posh by their marbled pattern. Garrett Leight’s popular Hampton specs come with clip-on lenses. And the X Obj Water “Desert” variety from Effector has acetate that’s eight millimetres thick – and yet somehow still breezily lightweight.

  

 

EVERYONE’S LOOKING

>>Unik is on the second floor of the Lido Theatre at Siam Square and open daily from 1 to 8pm. 

>>Call (02) 658 3833 or visit the “UnikEyes” page on Facebook or “UnikStoreBkk” at Instagram.