In 1969, Graham Cutler and Tony Gross, both trained opticians, decided that eyewear could carry identity as much as utility. Their first shop opened in 1971 at 16 Knightsbridge Green, a space deliberately staged with Perspex shelves, mahogany counters, and industrial lamps that made the shop feel closer to an art studio than an optician’s office. Upstairs, master framemaker George Smith hand-carved acetate sheets, sanded edges, and polished curves into frames that were as individual as the customers who wore them. This approach broke away from the standardised, hospital-issue glasses common in Britain at the time, quietly reshaping the idea of eyewear from medical function to cultural statement.
Craft, Details, and materials
Cutler and Gross has never relied on logos to be recognised. Instead, their authority comes from weight, proportion, and finish. Frames are still produced in Italian workshops using slow processes of cutting, milling, and hand polishing, while metal elements are sourced from Japan. The 9772 Square frame, crafted from 9 mm acetate and anchored with diamond rivets, has remained in production for over forty years, a rarity in a market that thrives on constant novelty. Small markers like the Oyster and Compass Star pins are subtle signatures, a nod to the brand’s early codes. Even colour is treated with precision, with layered acetates milled so that interiors and exteriors respond differently to light.
By the 1980s, figures like David Hockney and Elton John were commissioning frames that became inseparable from their public personas, proof that Cutler and Gross had embedded itself in culture rather than trend cycles. The arrival of Marie Wilkinson in 1983 pushed the design language further, with sharper silhouettes and daring colours that never compromised on construction. The refusal to plaster logos across frames has remained a consistent principle, a decision that has aged better than most of the industry’s marketing habits. Today, to wear Cutler and Gross sunglasses is to align with a legacy of craft and independence.
“My idea of design is a bit old-fashioned. It should be practical, functional then look good – in that order.”
