STATE Optical Co. Acquires AO Eyewear
Two American-Made Eyewear Brands Join Forces
STATE Optical Co. is excited to announce the acquisition of American Optical Eyewear. As an eyewear brand dedicated to reinvigorating American eyewear craftsmanship and manufacturing, STATE has been creating luxury acetate eyewear since 2014 and has long looked up to American Optical, the oldest optical company in America. Although the companies were founded over 150 years apart, both were born out of the dogged belief that American eyewear craftsmen can make the best eyewear in the world.
AO Eyewear’s heritage, dating back to 1833, is not only full of impressive innovations in manufacturing but also celebrated moments in American history. AO was the first company to provide sunglasses to American military pilots. Their sunglasses were also the first on the moon. The iconic style, now known as the Original PilotTM, was worn by the entire Apollo 11 crew and is now on exhibit at the Smithsonian. JFK’s favorite pair of sunglasses was the AO Saratoga. Even more important than the history of AO Eyewear, though, is their commitment to quality and to American manufacturing.
This opportunity creates the perfect marriage between a luxury acetate collection in STATE and a classic metal collection in AO Eyewear. “For years, AO Eyewear has been a company with unlimited potential, but was held back in part by their inability to produce acetate frames in the US. STATE Optical Co has been similarly limited in regards to metal frames. We’re confident that incorporating both materials into each collection will exponentially benefit both of these American made brands,” said STATE CEO, Scott Shapiro. In fact, AO craftsmen are already working on reviving the much sought after Saratoga sunglasses to be included in AO’s revamped 2020 Collection, slated to debut in Spring, 2020. We look forward to starting to add metal components to upcoming STATE collections as well.
STATE is thrilled to become a part of the storied history of AO Eyewear and is committed to looking after the brand’s heritage and reputation for quality, all while reinvigorating AO’s image to carry the brand through its next 100 years.