Handmade in Italy. Exclusively for Farmilo.
Not every exceptional pair of glasses needs a famous designer name on the side. Sometimes you’re paying for the name. We wanted to do something different.
So we created the Farmilo Collection — our own exclusive range of eyewear, handmade for us in Italy by specialist eyewear manufacturer Essequadro.
Beautiful acetate. Italian craftsmanship. Exceptional finishing.
And because we’re working directly with the manufacturer rather than paying for a global designer brand, we can offer something particularly compelling:
Available exclusively at Farmilo Optometrist.
Beautifully made Italian eyewear at a remarkably fair price.
Our Name. Our Collection.
We spend our working lives looking at glasses. We see what fits well. What lasts. What feels comfortable. What looks good on different faces. And what patients actually enjoy wearing.
So rather than relying entirely on other people’s brands, we wanted a collection we could put our own name behind. The Farmilo Collection gives us exactly that. Frames chosen for our patients and available only through Farmilo.
Handmade in Italy
Our frames are manufactured for us by Essequadro, a specialist Italian eyewear company with generations of experience in frame production. The frames aren’t simply designed in Italy and manufactured somewhere else. They’re made in Italy.
The production process combines modern precision manufacturing with the hand-finishing techniques for which Italian eyewear has become renowned. It’s the combination that matters. Technology where precision is important. Human craftsmanship where touch, judgement and finishing matter.
How they are made
72 production stages, 120 hours of tumbling, Mazzucchelli acetate.
72 Production Stages
Making a quality acetate frame involves far more than cutting out a shape and attaching two temples. Each Farmilo Collection frame passes through approximately 72 individual production stages. The process includes cutting, shaping, tumbling, polishing, brushing, assembling and finishing. Some stages use sophisticated machinery.
Others depend entirely on skilled hands.
By the time the finished frame reaches Farmilo, an extraordinary amount of work has gone into something that you may eventually wear every day for years.
Precision Meets Craftsmanship
Modern eyewear manufacturing can achieve remarkable precision. Essequadro uses advanced 5-axis machinery to accurately cut and shape acetate components. That precision provides the foundation. But machines don’t do everything. The frames are then worked and finished by experienced craftspeople. Edges are refined. Surfaces are polished.
Components are assembled. The final frame is inspected. This combination of technology and handcraftsmanship allows the frame to be both precisely manufactured and beautifully finished.
120 Hours of Tumbling
One of the less obvious stages in making a premium acetate frame is tumbling. After the acetate has been cut and shaped, components spend an extended period being gradually refined and polished.
For the Farmilo Collection manufacturing process, this can involve around 120 hours of tumbling. Five days. Not because somebody forgot about them. Because achieving a smooth, refined finish takes time.
It’s the sort of detail most people will never know about when they pick up the finished frame. But it’s part of the reason quality acetate feels different.
Mazzucchelli Acetate
The material matters just as much as the manufacturing. Our acetate frames use premium acetate from Mazzucchelli. Mazzucchelli has an extraordinary history in Italian material manufacturing and is one of the best-known names in premium eyewear acetate.
Its materials are used by eyewear manufacturers and premium brands around the world. Why? Because good acetate offers something ordinary injection-moulded plastic struggles to reproduce. Depth. Colour. Pattern. Texture. And the ability to create a beautifully polished finish.
Look Closely at the Colour
Acetate is particularly interesting because colour can exist within the material, rather than simply being painted onto the surface. Look closely at a good acetate frame and you may see:
Move the frame under different lighting and the appearance can change again. That’s one of the reasons we love working with acetate. It gives eyewear character.
- Layers
- Transparency
- Tortoiseshell patterns
- Subtle colour transitions
- Flecks
- Depth
- Contrasting tones
Thousands of Colour Possibilities
The acetate library available to the manufacturer runs into thousands of colour and pattern possibilities. That gives enormous creative freedom. Classic tortoiseshell. Deep translucent colours. Clear acetates. Rich greens. Blues. Warm neutrals. Bold patterns. And combinations that are much harder to find in mass-market eyewear.
It means the Farmilo Collection doesn’t have to look like a generic own-brand range. Quite the opposite. It gives us the opportunity to choose eyewear with genuine personality.
Quality Metal Components
Where metal components are required, quality matters there too. The collection uses carefully selected metal alloys designed for eyewear manufacture, balancing durability, precision and suitability for prolonged skin contact. These details may not be the first thing you notice when trying a frame.
But they’re part of making glasses that are designed to be worn every day.
Made properly. Priced fairly.
Why Create Our Own Collection?
There’s an obvious question. Farmilo already stocks exceptional independent eyewear. Why create our own? Because we wanted to offer another choice. We love designer and independent eyewear. We stock collections because they bring something distinctive:
Design. Engineering. Materials. Craftsmanship. Creativity. But branding also has a cost. With the Farmilo Collection, we can take a different approach.
Invest in the frame rather than the name.
You're Paying for the Glasses
A famous logo can be valuable if the brand matters to you. There’s nothing wrong with that. But not everybody wants to pay for a name. Some people simply want:
A beautifully made frame. Quality materials. Italian craftsmanship. A flattering shape. Great lenses. And a fair price. That’s exactly where the Farmilo Collection fits.
Made Properly. Priced Fairly.
Our objective wasn’t to create a “cheap own brand”. It was to create excellent value. There’s an important difference. Cheap eyewear usually begins with a target price and works backwards. Where can material be removed? Where can production be simplified? Where can costs be cut?
Our approach is different. Start with a frame we’re happy to put the Farmilo name on. Then remove the unnecessary cost of a global designer label. That allows us to offer quality that might otherwise sit at a considerably higher price point.
Find it at Farmilo
Exclusively at Farmilo
You won’t find the Farmilo Collection in every optician. You won’t find it in a department store. And you won’t find the same collection in a national chain. It’s our collection. Chosen for Farmilo. Made for Farmilo. And available through Farmilo.
That exclusivity is something we value. Being independent should allow us to offer you things that aren’t available everywhere else.
Our Name Means Something
There’s one final difference between the Farmilo Collection and almost every other brand we sell. That’s important to us. We’re not simply selling somebody else’s product. We’re putting the Farmilo name behind the frame.
And if we’re going to do that, it needs to be something we’re happy for our patients to wear.
Our name is on it.
The Farmilo Collection in Leicester
The Farmilo Collection is available exclusively at Farmilo Optometrist in Leicester. Come in and explore the range. Feel the acetate. Look closely at the colours. Try different shapes.
And let us help you create a pair of glasses that works beautifully with your face, prescription and lifestyle. You don’t need a famous logo to own exceptional eyewear.
Will this look impressive on a display?
The most important question when we choose a Farmilo Collection frame isn’t:
It’s:
“Who will this look fantastic on?”
We look for variation. Different face shapes. Different sizes. Different colours. Different personalities. Some frames should be understated. Others should have more character. Because our patients don’t all look the same. Their glasses shouldn’t either.
From Understated to Individual
The Farmilo Collection isn’t built around one particular look. That’s deliberate. You might want:
A classic tortoiseshell. A subtle translucent acetate. Something colourful. A stronger architectural shape. A lightweight everyday frame. Something professional. Or something completely different from your last pair.
We’ll help you explore the collection rather than expecting you to know exactly what you want before you walk through the door.
Lenses, fitting and aftercare
Beautiful frames deserve the right lenses, and a proper fit.
Beautiful Frames Deserve Beautiful Lenses
Creating our own frame collection also allows us to focus on the complete pair of glasses. The frame is only half of it. The lenses are the part you actually look through.
Depending on your prescription and visual requirements, we can combine your Farmilo frame with:
We’ll recommend the lens based on your prescription, lifestyle and budget rather than simply assuming everybody needs the same thing.
- Premium single vision lenses
- Advanced varifocal lenses
- Occupational lenses
- Thinner high-index materials
- Premium anti-reflection coatings
- Photochromic lenses
- Prescription sun lenses
Frame and Lenses Together
Your prescription can influence which frame works best. A strong prescription in the wrong frame can produce unnecessarily thick or heavy lenses. A carefully selected frame can make an enormous difference. We’ll consider:
The objective isn’t simply to sell you a frame. It’s to create a great pair of glasses.
- Your prescription
- Frame size
- Lens shape
- Pupillary measurements
- Bridge fit
- Lens thickness
- Lens weight
- Your visual requirements
Professionally Styled at Farmilo
Sometimes choosing glasses is easy. You put on the first frame and love it. Sometimes it isn’t. Everything begins to look the same. You’re not sure what suits you. The person you’ve brought with you doesn’t like anything. That’s where we can help.
We’ll look at:
And we’ll probably encourage you to try something you wouldn’t have picked yourself. Sometimes that’s the frame that works best.
- Your face shape
- Frame proportions
- Colouring
- Bridge fit
- Your prescription
- Your existing glasses
- Your personal style
- What you actually feel comfortable wearing
Why Choose the Farmilo Collection?
The Farmilo Collection is particularly worth exploring if you:
- Want handmade Italian eyewear
- Appreciate quality acetate
- Want excellent value
- Don't particularly care about having a designer logo
- Want something exclusive to Farmilo
- Prefer independent eyewear
- Want interesting colours and shapes
- Want quality materials without an unnecessary brand premium
- Want professional help choosing the right frame
- Simply want a really good pair of glasses
Handmade in Italy. Chosen by Farmilo. Made for you.
Farmilo Optometrist — Leicester
Available exclusively at Farmilo Optometrist