LONDON CREATIVE: Fabio Ribeiro
This week we caught up with general manager Fabio Ribeiro, of General Eyewear
1. TELL US WHY GLASSES FROM GENERAL EYEWEAR ARE SOUGHT AFTER SO MUCH?
Our own designs are totally unique and different from what everyone else on the market is doing right now. People love that everything is handmade and crafted, they can tell and feel the effort that has gone into each frame. We stand out from the crowd for all the best reasons. In addition to that we also have an incredibly vast selection of vintage glasses, more so than anyone else in London. We’re like a museum where everything is available to purchase.
2. WHAT DOES THE GLASSES YOU WEAR SAY ABOUT YOU?
Each one of us here designs our own frames, I myself have 28 pairs, this one that I’m wearing now is known as the asymmetric, I actually wear it as a way to express the endless possibilities of bespoke. When I decide on the frame I wear on a specific day I decide upon how I feel that day. Round frames signify friendliness and openness, squarer and more hard edged frames create a more serious impression. Every day is different for me.
3. WHATS THE BEST PLACE YOU HAVE SOURCED A PAIR OF GLASSES FROM?
We once stumble upon a factory that had been untouched since the 60s. We went during Winter and the place was completely snowed over but somehow we managed to convince the son of the owner to let us see it. When we went inside, it was like a giant time capsule, there were still newspapers on the table from the day it closed, complete with half drunk coffee cups on top. The son told us that the father had suddenly developed a health condition that caused him to shut down the factory right there and then. Some of the glasses dated back to the 30’s and some were incomplete, still in the process of being hand finished. The glasses we found there are amongst my favourite pieces that we’ve ever had.
4. WE LOVE THE CAMDEN STORE, ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO OPEN UP A NEW STORE ANYTIME SOON?
There are certainly plans but nothing that I’m able to reveal to you yet.
5. BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN?
It sounds lame but “believe in yourself and other people will believe in you”. I never doubt myself, I tell myself that if I put the work in I can be capable of absolutely anything. Even if I fail at something, it just means that I haven’t got it right this time and I need to push myself to try harder.
6. BEST HANG OUT SPOTS IN LONDON?
There’s a great bar on Mare St. called Helgi’s that I’m fond of. Besides that, I prefer the company of people in their own homes – I’m always up for a good house party. During the day I like to go to a lot of vintage markets and rummage around charity shops searching for unique homewares and new design ideas.
Photography by Nyla Sammons
