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Frame Manufacturing IndustryThe truth is that 90% optical frames produced by the global frame manufacturing industry are made in China. Brand owners want to hide this from you. They do this by printing slightly misleading country of origin information on the temples of glasses. Frame Italy means Made in China Design France means Made in China Hand Made Japan means Made in China
Rodenstock frames at a China factoryHere are some Rodenstock frames in the checking department of a China facory. Rodenstock is a German company renowned for their high end fames and lenses. On the inside of the temples was printed Frame Germany.
Unless it says “Made in Italy” the frame was made in China. Even then you can’t be sure. I was at the optical trade show in Hong Kong a couple of years ago. I saw a frame that we sold at our practice that was a Made in Italy frame. The manufacturer explained that they make the frames in China without any country of origin details. Then they are shipped to Italy where Made in Italy is stamped on the frame. Sure enough when I got back to my practice I could see that the printing of “Made in Italy “ was subtly different from the rest of the printing on the frame. Why all the smoke and mirrors? After all, the clothes I am wearing have Made in China on the labels. My guess is that from the consumers perspective glasses seem incredibly expensive for what they are. Bits of plastic and metal costing hundreds of dollars. If the retailer can say when questioned about price “but they are made in Italy” it adds value in the purchasers mind.
So why are frames made in China?At the factories I have visited just out side Hong Kong the average wage for a factory worker was $6 per day. How much would Italian factory workers be paid? Hundreds of dollars per day no doubt. What about the quality?The quality from China can be superb. The factories I visited were equipped with the latest frame manufacturing technology from Germany and Japan, and even run by Italian managers. There are two main frame producing areas in China. The Pearl River Delta which is just outside of Hong Kong and Wenzhou which is a 3 hour plane flight up the coast. The Hong Kong quality is generally very good while the poorer quality frames come from Wenzhou.
The Wenzhou manufactures refer the quality they produce as “American Quality”. Probably because the big US retail chains have beaten them down on price and they have to cut corners with specifications on the coating and materials in order make a profit.
Don’t think that buying a brand guarantees you superior quality. Buy the frame you like. Most retailers are not aware of the sleight of hand that goes on and genuinely believe that Frame Italy means Made in Italy.
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