For Jack, as an optometrist and spectacle maker, materially better means precision, quiet quality, and pieces that feel like they’ve always belonged.
Subtle. Considered. Made to last.
Read the full feature on the Rise & Fall Rolodex or head to Stories for more. #MateriallyBetter
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Every legacy starts somewhere
Lawrence Jenkin shares his journey into the eyewear making industry #ransomeandjenkin #independanteyewear #londoneyewear #handmadespectacles
✨Brora Portrait: Meet Jack Ransome Lupton✨
How would you describe your personal style?
I try to have a capsule wardrobe. I just like to have two really good jumpers, two nice T-shirts. A couple of good pairs of trousers, a couple of really nice shirts, and a coat. Classic and quality.
What colour palettes do you tend to gravitate towards?
Blue and white. Seems to be a chronic issue in my whole family. We’ll go home for Christmas and everyone is wearing the same colour palette. Completely by mistake. Which is sweet, but a bit weird.
What is it that you like about Brora?
I think that Brora do the simple things really, really well. And you could easily find an outfit for every occasion. It’s timeless.
What would you be doing if you weren’t spectacle making?
I did all my auditions for drama school when I was 17, so acting. I probably would go back and try to make a path for myself in acting. Is it too late?!
Who is your role model?
Well, in a business sense, Lawrence Jenkin (master spectacle maker). In a personal sense, my brother and sister.
✨Brora Portrait: Meet Jack Ransome Lupton✨
What material do you work with? Why is working with high quality materials important?
I work with cellulose acetate which is derived from cotton, nickel silver hinges and rivets from Germany, and gold foil, for stamping the branding and the customer’s name into the side. It’s very satisfying as you only require a few materials to make a beautiful yet functional piece. I think that quality isn’t necessarily in how something looks but how it feels. And so, by utilising the best materials, whether it’s the way that the frame closes, or sits on your nose, you’re aware of good quality, without necessarily being able to see it as it sits on a table. You feel it.
How does eyewear help people to embrace their style?
Eyewear is the first thing you put and the last thing you take off. It’s the first thing people see. So, I feel like it’s the first and most obvious place to display your character.
✨Brora Portrait: Meet Jack Ransome Lupton✨
In our latest Brora Portrait, we visited the talented optometrist and spectacle maker, Jack Ransome Lupton. Spectacle-making is an incredibly specialist craft, with Jack as one of only a handful of British spectacle makers in the UK. Jack handcrafts each frame, with his work offering a more considered approach to eyewear that values longevity and craftmanship.
How did you get into spectacle making, and how did you learn the craft?
I’m an optometrist by trade, and after qualifying, I was practising in various opticians around London, and I eventually got bored of the clinical world, so I taught myself to make frames. I was trying to approach various people who make spectacles across the UK and I found it difficult to find anyone that wanted to share that information with me. One company gave me some acetate slabs, and then COVID struck, so I found myself in my dad’s garage with his tools, and I started to figure it out over the first lockdown, and I’ve honed my skills ever since.
How has your business grown over time, and what challenges have you faced?
For a while, I was still practising as a locum optometrist in independent practices in London, whilst making frames kind of as a hobby on the side. My dream was always to have a premises where we could make frames and also provide eye exams on site. So, then in September 2024, we purchased an existing opticians in Hampstead Heath. I’m slowly bringing the workshop on site, so we’re getting closer to that goal!
