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Over the course of the past few years, Black-owned eyewear brands have been growing both in numbers and popularity. Some specialize in designing eyewear to fit people with African heritage, while others focus on cultural designs, but they are all successful in creating on-trend, high quality eyewear that appeals to everyone, across the board. These are just a few of the companies engaging in the eyewear category.






In 1992, Daymond John, Carl Brown, J. Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin founded FUBU (https://fubuframes.com/home/), a clothing and lifestyle brand whose name stands for “For Us, By Us.” Over the past three decades, FUBU has steadily grown into an iconic brand which now includes the FUBU FRAMES Eyewear Collection by Eye Candy Creations USA. The eyewear follows the same philosophy as the larger brand, “Inspired by the lives of everyday people innovating for survival,” and “designed for strong, ambitious, game changers who embrace individual style as a birthright,” the brand says (https://fubuframes.com/frames/). Constructed from Mazzucchelli acetates and high-end metals, the frames feature unique constructions and vibrant lenses with anti-reflective coatings.






Peoples from Barbados (https://peoplesfrombarbados.com/) began in 2016 with what was intended to be a simple, one-off capsule collection celebrating the island of Barbados’ 50th independence anniversary. Six years later, optician Alicia Hartman is still heading up the successful brand—with way more than that initial capsule collection under her belt. Peoples From Barbados aims to bring the adventurous, ambitious and daring heritage of the Barbados to the worldwide stage, offering eyewear that is glamorous, bold and full of Bajan Soul.






Twin designers Coco and Breezy (https://cocoandbreezy.com/) are well known names within the optical community. From their DJ skills to their visual art, Coco and Breezy are true modern Renaissance women—a reality reflected in their eyewear designs. Corianna and Brianna Dotson founded their eyewear brand in 2009 and rocketed to near-instant success; most famously, they designed the iconic “third-eye” sunglasses worn and loved by Prince. Coco and Breezy have also collaborated with brands like Hershey’s, Ciroc and Teva.






After years working in Chicago as an optician, Jamel Marshall moved to New York and founded Savant & Scholar (https://savantandscholar.com/). All designs are Marshall’s, inspired by the energy and uniqueness of New York City, and designed to tell a story. Marshall explains on his website (https://savantandscholar.com/), “Each design different than the other, tells its own story of Art, Culture, & timeless Nostalgia. The eyewear is carefully comprised of custom components, then beautifully handcrafted showcasing its precise attention to detail. Artistry that not only accommodates both Single Vision & Progressive lenses, but empowers through individual expression and creativity.”






Founded by Dionne Ellison, Vuilwear (https://vuliwear.com) is a nature-inspired eyewear brand that mirrors the colors and patterns of insects’ eyes. The sunwear, which features honeycomb patterns on the lenses, “challenges the norm by focusing on the lenses because that’s the first thing you see when wearing them,” Ellison explains (https://vuliwear.com/about-us/). Vuliwear gives back, too: the brand donates a portion of its proceeds to United to Beat Malaria, a global grassroots campaign of the UN Foundation that provides bed nets and other insect repellent tools to protect families in need from insects carrying malaria.







Friends Tracy Vontélle Green and Nancey Harris founded Vontélle Eyewear (https://www.vontelle.com/) after they both lost expensive pairs of eyewear and found they couldn’t replace them with the exact designs they were dreaming up. Now, the two focus on creating eyewear designs that feature textiles, patterns and colors from the African diaspora. On their website, Harris and Green write, “Each of our products and accessories are designed to pay homage to our African ancestry with traditional colors and patterns that channel our African, Caribbean, and Latino heritage. Our patterns use many textiles and designs from highly identifiable, recognizable and respected materials like mud cloth and kente cloth. These designs are tailored to empower humanity to see the world through cultural and global lens.”







Jamal Robinson and NFL linebacker Jaylon Smith founded CEV Collection (https://cevcollection.com/), an acronym for Smith’s on-field mantra “Clear Eye View.” Together, Smith and Robinson design “culturally inspired eyewear with trendsetting designs,” they explain on their website. “We wanted to create a brand that stood for something. We wanted to design unique and high-quality products at a fair price. We want to build a community that embodies the hope and inspiration of what a Focused Vision can be in someone’s life.”







Nwamaka Ngoddy, OD, founded Anwuli Eyewear (https://anwulieyewear.com/) in 2019, specifically designing for Black and African facial features. The brand was born out of years of work as an optometrist, leading Dr. Ngoddy to notice that many of her patients were having a hard time finding stylish frames that fit their faces. Anwuli means “joy” in Igbo—something Dr. Ngoddy hopes to reflect in the frames she designs.






This small sampling of Black-owned eyewear brands is just the tip of the iceberg, of course. But it reflects just how large, diverse and exciting the Black-owned eyewear business is—and just how much we have to look forward to as these brands and their peers continue to grow and share.