How Corey Shapiro Is Using Streetwear Culture To Sell Vintage Frames

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Vintage Frames Company founder, Corey Shapiro in coliseum designed store in Montreal, QC, inspired by his idol Elton John.

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By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com 

Wrapping up their 12-day Black Friday sale, Vintage Frames Company is dropping prices on classic frame styles from your favorite era with designs inspired from the 70s, 80, and 90s. With vintage and resale markets brightening up, the founder of the Vintage Frames Company, Corey Shapiro, has been finding success in taking a streetwear approach to eyewear.

Shapiro recalls suffering from insomnia growing up in Montreal. His Grandfather would take him for breakfast at the famous Snowdon Deli. There, Shapiro would see the “Garmentos,” older men who worked in the garment district of Montreal. Montreal was the fashion capital of Canada at the time, and as the Garmentos gathered at this deli, pulling up in Cadillac cars, wearing velour suits, big watches, and more notably, sunglasses with huge frames.

The Godfather: A frame is meant to empower you; it provides a barrier between your eyes and the rest of the world. We constantly strive to make our frames bold in design, but powerful in statement. The sleek rectangular acetate frames with the bold VF cues of 24KT gold, make The Godfather an instant classic in the ever-growing Vintage Frames line. 

VF BY VINTAGE FRAMES COMPANY

 Shapiro became inspired by the look of the large frames and the aura they exuded. He could likely hide his eyes better after a sleepless night. Shapiro also admired the barrier-like presence that sunglasses provided for its wearer, creating a mystique. He grew an allure to eyewear then, and it is his signature look today.

Shapiro was a fan of “Hip Hop” music as well as “Elton John, and their common denominator was eyewear,” he remembers. He developed a taste for eyewear and frame design, learning how to cut lenses for his VF by Vintage Frames Company collections, launching back in 2018. He would double down on classic designs and create a variety of frames for his clients to choose from.

VF by Vintage Frames Company signature "Detroit Wick" frames.

VINTAGE FRAMES COMPANY

Shapiro opened his vintage boutique in 2008 and realized a mark-up in pricing for eyewear. He also noticed when the 2000s hit the optical industry shifted from creating frames with flare to focusing on the medical qualities and aesthetic of eyewear.

In a previous life, Shapiro was a tour manager who wore “100 hundred tees on tour from Uniqlo,” he recalls. Usually, he is doing his business in A Bathing camo shorts in the summer and illustrious fur coats in the winter. Shortly after, he began developing his brand and built his first retail space and boutique in the streetwear market of Montreal.

VF by Vintage Frames Company signature "Cuban Link" frames.

ONYSKO PRODUCTION

Shapiro laid the foundation for his future eyewear business with his clothing and sneaker store. He learned an intricate detail between streetwear fashion and eyewear fashion and that the optical industry lacked the issue of sizing of the product. Shapiro essentially forced his hand into crafting a more sustainable business. 

Focused on the fashion side of eyewear, Shapiro would source and buy deadstock frames from as many brands high eyewear brands as he could. Shapiro saw a gap in the market for vintage eyewear and would often get approached by the same companies later asking to buy-back inventory as the market favored frames with flare and lenses with luster. Shapiro would touch more eyewear than anyone else in the business and would have 1.5 million designer vintage frames in his inventory…

Continue reading this article on Forbes.com

Elton John's coliseum performance-inspired​ decor at the Vintage Frames Company retail space.

EMILE SEGUIN

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