MADE IN SABAE
The city of Sabae in Fukui Prefecture, located in the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan, has been manufacturing eyewear for over 100 years. Since then, Sabae's know-how through technological innovations and generations of heritage, has grown into an industry that represents this region. Despite being a small regional town with a population of around 70,000, Sabae is now considered one of the world's leading cradles and distributors of high quality eyewear.
HISTORY
It is said that KameManNen is the oldest eyewear brand in Japan. Its roots started in 1917 with a metal plating factory called “Kimura Manufacturing Plant”, which was founded in Fukui City. After World War II, manufacturing moved to the city of Sabae and KameManNen was established soon after. Titanium spectacle frames were successfully produced and introduced to the world in 1981.
The name "KameManNen" was named after a Japanese proverb, "A crane lives a thousand years, a turtle ten thousand years" (Tsuru wa sennen, Kame wa mannen in Japanese. A proverb that depicts longevity)". was also the goal of the founder, Kikujiro Kimura, who wanted to make a durable eyewear frame that can stand the test of time unaltered. It aspires to carry on the concept of KameManNen to pursue not only the beauty of the design itself, but also the creation of high quality eyewear.
QUALITY
What we KameManNen value most about the eyewear manufacturing process is “producing a durable product that will be loved for a long time”. It is the strong aspiration of founder Kikujiro Kimura that has been passed down from generation to generation at KameManNen. As a result, the production of KameManNen eyewear is only possible with a series of extremely time-consuming manufacturing processes combined with the latest technology. For example, KameManNen's collection does not include many colors. This is because both metal plating and ion plating are used in our frame color determination process. Ion plating is a type of surface treatment process that is often applied for very durable products such as cutting tools and metal molds that would work under harsh conditions. This is a very labor intensive technique, but it is one of the essential processes to convey the quality that Kame Mannen wants us to experiment. The search for the best possible quality is the very essence of KameManNen and the identity of the brand.
DESIGN
KameManNen glasses are also characterized by their simple and refined beauty. KameManNen glasses have a sense of unity as an object. In order to pursue beauty as a product to the utmost limit, every aspect of the design, from the clearance between components to the thickness of the metal plating, is carefully calculated and constructed with sub-millimeter precision. KameManNen's design has captured the hearts of people around the world with universal beauty and aestheticism that stays away from fast-paced fashion trends. In 2013, the design was nominated for the SILMO d'Or Awards, a prestigious award described as the Oscar of the eyewear world.
When you are looking for a frame that will dress you for life, great classics that one acquires as a jewel, you turn of course to the beautiful Kames!
