Discover Benelux | (Hand)made in Belgium | Top Designs
‘Creators of your image’ TEXT: MYRIAM GWYNNED DIJCK | PHOTOS: HOET OPTIEK
Glasses are no longer solely a means to increase eyesight. Today, they are very much an extension of your look. At Hoet Optiek they know it is essential that eyewear matches your style and taste and they are experts at finding you the perfect pair. Hoet Optiek is a true family business, now in hands of the sixth generation. The company began from a travelling spectacle pedlar in 1884. By now it has two stores in Belgium, in Brussels and Bruges and several collections with designs that are also sold throughout the world. One of their collections is the renowned Theo line, named after an anagram of ‘Hoet’. It is available in over 1,400 stores globally. Frederik Ghesquière, who runs the two stores with Lieselotte Hoet, says: “Thanks to our laser cut technology we use for Theo, we can create more refined and lighter glasses so they are more 14 | Issue 24 | December 2015
comfortable to wear. Innovation is key at Hoet.” For more exclusive designs, the company launched Hoet Eyewear. This collection comprises of gold, black or grey spectacles made out of titanium, stainless steel and buffalo horn. “We only introduce two or three new models a year, to keep the collection exclusive,” he says. “We don’t follow trends. This keeps the models timeless and elegant so you can enjoy wearing them for a long time.” For even more exceptional spectacles, the company has the Hoet Couture collection made with 3D printing technology. Currently it includes five different models, each of which will be personalised according to the wearer. “We were the first to develop bespoke, 3D printed titanium glasses after developing the technology over a four-year period. The model will be adjusted according to the shape of the face, such as distance between the
eyes and to the ears so the glasses will have the perfect fit,” Ghesquière explains. He expects 3D printing technology to become even more important for opticians and spectacle designers in the future. He predicts that in a decade, most glasses will be made with this technology so everyone will have a unique and custom made set of spectacles. “In the world of tomorrow, clients would have their faces three-dimensionally scanned, so the spectacle designer can create a technical drawing of the model, which can then can be adjusted and printed on demand.” www.optiekhoet-brugge.be www.optiekhoet-brussel.be www.hoet.eu