In the Marina, the bridge everyone photographs is the Golden Gate. Born in Brooklyn put a different one on the side of your head. Open one of their frames and look at the hinge: the brand shaped it after the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, and pressed the pattern of the bridge’s suspension cables into the core of the temple. It is the kind of detail you only find when you are holding the frame, which is exactly where we like people to find things. We carry Born in Brooklyn at City Optix, on Chestnut Street in San Francisco’s Marina District.
To see where it sits among the other independent houses we carry, start there.
What is Born in Brooklyn?
Born in Brooklyn, or Born In Brooklyn Eyeglass Co. in full, is an eyewear brand built around one borough and the attitude it is known for. The brand describes its frames as eyewear “for go-getters everywhere,” inspired by what it calls “old-school Brooklyn.”
The Brooklyn part is the design language. The making happens somewhere else. In the brand’s own words, the frames are “Handcrafted in Japan,” by artisans the brand says have “more than 5 decades of experience.”
The collection reads like a subway map. Most frames carry the names of Brooklyn neighborhoods: Cobble Hill, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Gowanus, Prospect Park, Carroll Gardens, and more. The brand makes both an optical collection and a sun collection.
What makes Born in Brooklyn different?
Three things, and each one shows up in the hand before it shows up in a photo.
The bridge is in the hardware, not on a logo. The brand’s signature is structural. The hinges “resemble the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge,” and the temple core “has been pressed with the design of its iconic suspension cables.” You see it when the frame is open on a counter, and the wearer knows it is there even when nobody else does.
A frame named Cobble Hill or Greenpoint is a quiet way to carry a neighborhood with you.
The hinge is built sturdy on purpose. Born in Brooklyn uses what it calls “industrial 7-barrel, custom-designed hinges.” A barrel hinge interlocks a set of knuckles around a pin, and more barrels generally means a sturdier joint. The brand’s stated reason is simple: it believes “premium products should be built to last.”
The acetate is finished by hand. The brand says its acetate “has been beveled and hand-sculpted,” and that its artisans use “over 200 old-school steps” to make each frame. The material itself is Mazzucchelli acetate, according to the brand’s product pages.
The tower in the hinge is the kind of detail you find only when the frame is in your hand.
Who Born in Brooklyn is for
This is a frame for someone who wants a story they can actually point to.
It suits people with a New York connection they carry with them. Plenty of San Franciscans came here from somewhere else, and a frame named Cobble Hill or Greenpoint is a quiet way to keep a zip code on your face.
It suits anyone who wants a sturdy acetate frame. Seven-barrel hinges are not a delicate choice.
It suits the person who likes a detail other people have to earn. The bridge towers and cable pattern are not printed across the front. They sit at the hinge and inside the temple, where you notice them when you take the glasses off and set them down.
And it suits someone who likes the idea of two places in one object: the attitude of Brooklyn and the patience of Japanese handwork.
How to tell if Born in Brooklyn is right for you
Before you come in:
- Open the frame and look at the hinge. Find the tower shape and the cable pattern in the temple. If that detail makes you smile, you already know something useful.
- Pay attention to the feel. A seven-barrel hinge and hand-sculpted acetate give the frame a sturdy, substantial feel. Some people love that. Some prefer something lighter, and we will say so if that is you.
- Pick a neighborhood, not just a shape. The names are part of the fun. It is fine to start with the one that means something to you and let the fit decide from there.
- Look at the acetate in daylight. The beveled edges and the depth of the material read best in natural light, so step toward the window when you try one on.
- Come in ready to be fitted. A well built frame still has to sit right on your particular face. The fitting is our part, and it takes a few minutes at the counter rather than a guess online.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I try Born in Brooklyn eyewear in San Francisco? At City Optix, 2154 Chestnut Street, in the Marina District. We are an independent optometry practice and eyewear boutique led by Dr. Jeff Rich, O.D., open Monday through Saturday, 10 to 6. We carry Born in Brooklyn and we will fit the frame properly to your face at the counter. What is on the shelf changes, so come in and see, or call us at (415) 921-1444.
Where are Born in Brooklyn glasses made? The brand says its frames are handcrafted in Japan, by artisans with more than five decades of experience, using over 200 steps for each frame. The design is inspired by Brooklyn, New York.
What is special about the Born in Brooklyn hinge? The brand uses seven-barrel, custom-designed hinges shaped to resemble the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge, and presses the pattern of the bridge’s suspension cables into the temple core.
Why are Born in Brooklyn frames named after neighborhoods? Most frames carry the name of a Brooklyn neighborhood, such as Cobble Hill, Greenpoint, Williamsburg or Prospect Park. The brand draws its design inspiration from old-school Brooklyn, and the names tie the collection back to the borough.
Come try a pair on Chestnut Street
Born in Brooklyn is a brand that makes more sense in your hand than in a description. The tower in the hinge, the cable pattern in the temple, the way the beveled acetate catches the light: none of it survives a product page. Come try them on at City Optix, 2154 Chestnut Street in the Marina, Monday through Saturday, 10 to 6, and find the bridge. What is on the shelf changes, so come by and see, or call us at (415) 921-1444. City Optix has been fitting faces in the Marina since 1986, with frames that were chosen rather than settled for.