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Europa Eyewear was born in a Chicago garage in 1977. In the beginning, the company was an importer of quality eyewear—but all of that changed in 2014, when the company partnered with Marc Franchi and Jason Stanley of Frieze Frames in order to build a state-of-the-art factory in its Chicago home. From Chicago, the company produces State Optical, Alan J. and, starting just recently, it brought inside to its production facilities, the iconic American brand AO Eyewear.



Europa still does import eyewear from abroad for its collections, geared primarily to independent ECPs, but its American-made collections stand on their own. CEO Scott Shapiro told VM, “When we decided to build our own factory in 2014, we wanted to create new brands that were made here, by American craftsmen.” The company employs 60 artisans, with about 50 percent of the work done by hand.

The company’s reasons for beginning production in the U.S. is twofold. Shapiro explained, “Obviously, we wanted to build our factory here in part because we wanted to bring those jobs back to America. We felt that if we gave American workers a chance, they could make a product as well as anyone else in the world—and I’m happy to say I think we’ve been proven right.”

On top of job creation, though, the State collection wanted to change the conversation around eyewear, how it’s made, what goes into the process, and why the price tag for quality eyewear sits where it does.

Shapiro said, “We also wanted to start conversations about what really goes into a quality pair of eyeglasses. We wanted people [especially opticians] to start talking about how they’re made, and why they cost what they do. That’s why we invite both consumers and opticians to come take a tour of our facility. I’m proud to say we’ve given tours to over 1,000 people and not one has ever walked away saying, ‘why are eyeglasses so expensive?’”

Showcasing the true value of eyewear is a fundamental goal for the State and AO Eyewear teams. Most importantly, he said, “is that we make sure [Made in USA] also stands for quality and luxury. When people think of something made in Italy or made in France, they associate that with quality and luxury. So they should associate those terms with ‘Made in USA.’ As one of the few American eyewear manufacturers, we know it’s our duty to help define that. And our dedicated craftsmen know it too,” Shapiro said.

This year’s relaunch of AO has once again shown State’s commitment to American-made eyewear. The collection is relaunching with some of AOs most famous styles: Original Pilot (originally designed for American military pilots and worn by the Apollo 11 crew), the General (named for General Douglas MacArthur) and the Saratoga (a favorite of President John F. Kennedy). Shapiro told VM that the fact that AO is made in America “is remarkably impactful right now as people want to support businesses and brands that are closer to home.”