When it comes to glasses made in Japan, Sabae City in Fukui Prefecture is renowned, accounting for 96% of domestic production. Founded in 1984 in Sabae, BOSTON CLUB CO., LTD. handles the glasses brand "BOSTON CLUB." We talked to Shozo Matsumoto, the manager of the flagship shop "GLOSS GINZA," to discover its charm.
Creating Glasses that Match Your Favorite Clothes
"The founder, Kazumi Komatsubara, is from Sabae. He worked for a local glasses company for about six and a half years, gaining experience in planning and sales before starting his own company, Boston Club, named after the brand in 1984."In the 1980s, Japan was in the midst of a DC brand boom, and he realized that there weren't any glasses that matched the fashionable clothes. This inspired him to create glasses that would go with those clothes."
Brand Hiatus & Revival with Changing Times
The brand development of BOSTON CLUB has not been smooth sailing throughout its long history. We asked about this journey."Alongside developing the BOSTON CLUB brand, we also worked on planning and producing glasses and sunglasses in collaboration with various apparel makers.
"After BOSTON CLUB started, select glasses shops began to emerge in Japan, and the brand's glasses started being featured in these shops. We created various classic models, and the number of retailers carrying our products exceeded 50.
"As the 1990s approached, feeling the changing times, we decided to put the BOSTON CLUB brand on hold and launched a new brand called JAPONISM in 1996. This brand quickly became our most significant business and continues to this day.
"Then in 1998, we launched another brand with a different concept, BCPC. In 2013, as our company approached its 30th anniversary the following year, we decided to revive BOSTON CLUB once again."
It's All About Reviving Classic Styles with Modern Design
We talked about the revival of BOSTON CLUB, updating classic designs from the 1980s while maintaining the same world-class "Sabae Quality.""With the revival, we incorporated elements such as cell-wrapped frames［1］, engraved patterns, preppy flip-up designs with a traditional twist, and combinations of metal and plastic frames. These were styles that were a bit loose and classic, popular among young people in the 1980s. We have infused these into modern designs, reviving the brand as the new 'BOSTON CLUB'.
"We're also seeing a revival of classic glasses in general, making the original BOSTON CLUB items trendy again.
"We still use blueprints and molds from 30 years ago, which is a unique feature of our brand. The roots of our classic designs are influenced by American and European styles, as well as the founder's love for fashion.
"Another significant aspect is that while our Made in Japan items are created in Sabae, they are priced accessibly, ranging from around 20,000 yen to the mid-30,000 yen range, making them an affordable choice."
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