Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith is a British eyewear design company founded in London in 1926 by Philip Oliver Goldsmith. It began as an optician and maker of handmade spectacle frames, initially working with materials including real tortoiseshell. The business developed from a specialist optical practice into one of the earliest British eyewear names to treat spectacles as a visible fashion accessory rather than merely a medical or functional product. Philip Goldsmith had previously worked as a travelling salesman for the optician Raphaels before opening a shop at 60 Poland Street in London. His son Charles joined the firm in 1930. During the Second World War, the company supplied spectacles to members of the armed forces while continuing to serve civilian customers. After Philip's death in 1947, Charles adopted Oliver Goldsmith as his professional name and became chairman of the business. He used press coverage, distinctive product design and celebrity association to raise the profile of the brand. Under Charles's direction, Oliver Goldsmith became associated with expressive frames and unconventional forms. Its designs included sculptural acetate shapes, oversized frames and novelty details such as musical-note motifs and hand-painted butterfly elements. The brand was worn by public figures including Diana Dors, Michael Caine, Lord Snowdon and Diana, Princess of Wales. It also worked with Paris fashion houses including Dior and Givenchy, reinforcing its position at the intersection of optical design and couture. The company's most widely remembered screen association is Audrey Hepburn's eyewear in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hepburn wore Oliver Goldsmith's Manhattan sunglasses in the film, although the style was sometimes incorrectly identified as a Ray-Ban Wayfarer. This connection helped make the brand part of the visual history of mid-century cinema and fashion. The next generation joined the business during the post-war period. Andrew Oliver Goldsmith entered in 1959, initially undertaking a general apprenticeship before becoming a frame designer in 1965 and later taking on management responsibilities. His brother Raymond Goldsmith managed the sunglasses side of the operation. The company continued producing spectacles, but it stopped manufacturing sunglasses in 1985. Sunglasses could still be repaired by craftspeople at the firm's factory in Clacton, while the optical business continued under Andrew Oliver's management. After Raymond Goldsmith died in 1997, his daughter Claire Goldsmith inherited rights connected with the sunglasses business. She revived the sunglasses line in 2005 or 2006, ending a hiatus of approximately two decades. The relaunch focused heavily on archival styles from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, reproduced using methods intended to preserve the character and construction of the originals. The archive of historic frames became an important source for selecting reissued models. Oliver Goldsmith's heritage is also preserved institutionally. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a substantial collection of the firm's eyewear spanning handmade frames of the 1930s, mid-century plastics and later fashion-oriented designs. A retrospective exhibition was held at Sunderland's National Glass Centre in 2014. Today, the brand's identity rests on its London history, family continuity, archival design language, craftsmanship and association with cinema, celebrity and fashion. Its business remains focused on eyewear rather than a broad accessories portfolio.

Philip Oliver Goldsmith established the business in London in 1926 after working as a travelling salesman for the optician Raphaels. He opened an optician's shop at 60 Poland Street and concentrated on handmade spectacle frames, including frames made from real tortoiseshell. His son Charles joined the company in 1930. During the Second World War, Oliver Goldsmith supplied spectacles to the armed forces while maintaining civilian production and retail activity. Following Philip's death in 1947, Charles adopted Oliver Goldsmith as his own professional name and became chairman. He expanded the company's public profile through press coverage, celebrity endorsements and highly distinctive frame design. Rather than presenting eyewear only as an optical necessity, the firm promoted spectacles as an expressive fashion item. Its products included unusual silhouettes, oversized forms, decorative motifs and hand-painted acetate details. The company developed relationships with couture houses such as Dior and Givenchy, while its frames were worn by figures including Diana Dors, Michael Caine, Lord Snowdon and Diana, Princess of Wales. Audrey Hepburn's appearance in Breakfast at Tiffany's became one of the company's defining cultural associations. Her sunglasses in the film were an Oliver Goldsmith design known as Manhattan, although they were sometimes mistaken for Ray-Ban Wayfarers. The association connected the brand with Hollywood costume, modernist style and the growing use of sunglasses as a fashion statement. Charles's sons joined the family business. Andrew Oliver Goldsmith entered in 1959 and later became a frame designer, while Raymond Goldsmith took responsibility for the sunglasses line. Andrew subsequently assumed broader management responsibilities. In 1985, Oliver Goldsmith stopped manufacturing sunglasses. The company retained optical production, and its Clacton facility continued to provide repair work for sunglasses and other eyewear. The spectacles business remained active under Andrew Oliver's direction. Raymond Goldsmith died in 1997, and his daughter Claire Goldsmith inherited rights associated with the sunglasses business. Around 2005–2006 she relaunched the line after a hiatus of about twenty years. The revived business emphasized reissues of original designs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. An archive of surviving frames enabled the company to identify historic models for renewed production, with an emphasis on retaining the appearance and manufacturing character of the originals. The firm's historical importance has been recognized by museums and exhibitions. The Victoria and Albert Museum holds a substantial group of Oliver Goldsmith frames dating from 1930 to 1985, documenting shifts from tortoiseshell and handmade construction to mid-century plastics and later fashion eyewear. In 2014, the National Glass Centre in Sunderland staged a retrospective of the company's work. Oliver Goldsmith continues as a specialist British eyewear brand whose identity is built on family history, archival models, craft, fashion and the cultural visibility of its designs.

1. 2014National Glass Centre retrospective

   A retrospective in Sunderland examined the company's contribution to eyewear design.

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2. 2005Sunglasses line relaunched

   Claire Goldsmith revived the sunglasses business, drawing on the company's archive of historic designs.

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3. 1997Claire Goldsmith inherits sunglasses rights

   Following Raymond Goldsmith's death, his daughter Claire inherited rights connected with the sunglasses business.

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4. 1985Sunglasses production stops

   The company ceased making sunglasses, although its optical business and repair capabilities continued.

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5. 1965Andrew Oliver becomes a frame designer

   Andrew Oliver Goldsmith moved into frame design after completing his general apprenticeship.

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6. 1959Andrew Oliver Goldsmith enters the business

   The third generation joined the company, beginning with Andrew Oliver Goldsmith's apprenticeship.

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7. 1947Charles assumes leadership

   After Philip's death, Charles adopted the Oliver Goldsmith name and took control as chairman.

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8. 1930Charles Goldsmith joins the firm

   Philip's son Charles entered the family business and later became its chairman.

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9. 1926Company founded in London

   Philip Oliver Goldsmith established the eyewear business after working as an optician's sales representative.

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Heritage British eyewear combining archival design, handmade or craft-oriented production, fashion styling and cultural associations with film and celebrity.

• Fashion spectaclesOptical eyewear1926

  Oliver Goldsmith's original business centered on spectacle frames, developing from handmade London optical work into fashion-oriented eyewear. The company became known for expressive silhouettes, oversized proportions and decorative acetate details that helped position spectacles as a style accessory as well as a vision-correction product.

• ManhattanSunglasses

  The Manhattan is an Oliver Goldsmith sunglasses design associated with Audrey Hepburn's appearance in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Its screen association made it one of the brand's best-known historical models and helped establish the company's connection with cinematic fashion and mid-century eyewear culture.

• Archival sunglasses reissuesSunglasses2005

  Following the revival of sunglasses production in the mid-2000s, the company returned to designs from its 1950s, 1960s and 1970s archive. These reissues are selected from surviving historic frames and are intended to retain the visual language and construction character of the originals.

• 2005Revival of the sunglasses lineProduct launch

  Claire Goldsmith sought to restore the sunglasses business after the company had not produced sunglasses since 1985.

  What changed. The brand relaunched sunglasses using selected designs from its historical archive and renewed production methods based on the originals.

  Aftermath. The relaunch benefited from demand for vintage-inspired eyewear and re-established sunglasses as a central part of the Oliver Goldsmith identity.

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• 1985End of sunglasses manufacturingStrategy

  Oliver Goldsmith discontinued production of sunglasses while retaining its optical eyewear activity and repair expertise.

  What changed. The company stopped making new sunglasses but continued producing spectacles and servicing existing sunglasses through its craft facilities.

  Aftermath. The sunglasses line remained dormant for approximately two decades before being revived under Claire Goldsmith.

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• 2014Oliver Goldsmith eyewear retrospective held at the National Glass Centre

  A retrospective in Sunderland presented the brand's historical contribution to eyewear design and its development across multiple decades.

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• 2005Oliver Goldsmith revives its sunglasses line

  The company brought its sunglasses business back after roughly twenty years away from sunglasses production, led by Claire Goldsmith and supported by demand for historic designs.

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1. Oliver Goldsmith (company)
2. Oliver Goldsmith interviews and collection material
3. Oliver Goldsmith official website