We often talk about how our TD Tom Davies bespoke handcrafted frames are so individual and special to each customer.

But, ahead of our special TD Tom Davies Open Day on 27 February, we thought we’d share an interview the founder of the spectacles company undertook with the BBC published this week.

In it, Tom talks quite openly about how his passion for design influenced the development and growth of his business in London to the designer eyewear company it is today – and how he had not originally thought about going into designing eyewear.

Here at BBR Optometry in St Owen’s Street, Hereford, we are very proud to be one of Tom Davies’s exclusive centres in the UK.

Dispensing Opticians Nick Black, Ruth Kettel, Emily Davies and Daniel Read have all visited the factory in London, attending design workshops and seeing the process of manufacture from start to finish. BBR’s expertise in designing bespoke frames is recognised by Tom Davies themselves, with practice manager Daniel as the only person outside of their company to have led a training workshop at the factory.

“Tom’s factory is the closest you’ll get to Willy Wonka in spectacles. It’s a fantastic place where even the machinery is bespoke with a room dedicated to lego, a design area with its own sweet bar, and an air hockey table. I’m a huge fan of Tom Davies and designing bespoke frames; if you’ve never been able to find a frame to fit or suit before we really do have the answer” said Daniel.

In an interview with BBC News, which can be found here, Tom talks quite frankly about how one sale of his then 34 colour range led to the investment that has seen the company’s significant growth and stature since 2002.

It’s hard to believe that Tom had not set out to design spectacles and it was a job interview with a Hong Kong watch-making business that led him into the industry.

"I had never planned to design glasses, but the boss of the company was so passionate about them," Tom told the BBC. "He told me that it was a very worthwhile thing to do, because glasses define you, they are the first thing people notice about you."

TD Tom Davies celebrated its 15th anniversary at the end of 2017 and Tom Davies is recognised as one of the leading eyewear designers in the world. His bespoke frames are worn by celebrities and others throughout the world, including Ed Sheeran.

“The range is great for people who know what they want but have difficulty finding it. They can identify a design from the TD Tom Davies range that they like and then we take their facial measurements, tweak the frame size, colour and send the details to the team that handcrafts them so that they fit perfectly,” said Daniel.

“That’s why the range is so successful, not only because of the designs, but the fact they are literally made-to-measure, making them extremely comfortable and easy to wear and use.”

You can find out more about this great brand and how you can have bespoke, handcrafted frames made for you by visiting our TD Tom Davies Open Day on Wednesday, 27 February. Information, advice and personal consultations will be available.

You’ll also be able to see the wide range of styles and colours that help make up each and every individual glasses frame.

If you can’t wait until then, why not call in to our St Owen Street optician’s practice where our team will be able to help.