Your Guide to Vasuma Vintage Glasses
Vasuma is an eyewear brand created to shake up the market created by three friends over a decade ago in Stockholm, Sweden. The mission of Jan Vana, Lars Malmsten and Steffen Sundelius was to offer eyewear inspired by the vintage style of the 50s and 60s, complemented by the brand’s modern twist.
Vasuma is created for men and women; the brand names each optical and sunglasses model after snakes. The story behind this is simply a tribute to those who have previously been bullied and labelled “glasögonorm” – the Swedish term for four eyes as well as the spectacled cobra snake – as a result of needing to wear prescription glasses. Vasum is the revenge of glasögonorm.
Based in the old town of Stockholm, the brand houses its warehouse, showroom and office in a four-level 15th-century townhouse just a block away from the Swedish Royal Castle. The wonderful city, surrounded by forests and countryside no more than 30 minutes away, inspires the brand’s designs and direction.
With a focus on quality, a Japanese collection has been introduced to allow consumers to explore the finest Japanese craftsmanship. While the range consists predominantly of classic styles, there are a few statement pieces for the style conscious. The collection, as a whole, is easy to wear and can be dressed down or up.
Vasuma aims to minimise environmental impacts in the product development process. Environmental aspects are considered at every step of the production cycle, from the choice of material and production method to how the finished product is shipped to stores.
Bioplastic Frames
The Vasuma frames are made from sustainable, biodegradable raw materials like cotton acetate and wood pulp, using a plasticiser of vegetable origin.
Most frames use Italian manufacturer Mazzucchelli’s formula “M49”, with the advantages of being both bio-based and biodegradable. The M49 also meets the prerequisites for compostability set by the standard ISO 17088:2012 (link to Mazzucchelli).
We also gather and save left-over bits and flakes from our manufacturers to create new recycled acetate frames. Black acetate sheets have been made for a while, but Vasuma was the first partner of Mazzucchelli, making multi-coloured tortoise sheets in 2017.
Sustainable Metal Frames
The metal frames must respond to many characteristics, such as resistance, hardness and elasticity. Vasuma buys the raw material from the best in the market (e.g. Swedish Sandvik). Nothing is lost from the production, and scraps are reused and melted to obtain functional metal components.
Packaging
Vasuma always strives to use paper from responsible sources, and our new foldable paper case is designed to reduce the volume and unnecessary void fill during packing and transport. The cleaning pouch is made of recycled pet bottles.
Size Guide
High Quality Glasses
Vasuma glasses and frames are a handmade glasses collection of high-quality materials. They are designed and spiritualised in Stockholm, Sweden. Inspiration comes from popular culture and history, specifically back to the ’60s and ’70s. They are manufactured in Italy, Japan and China at small independent factories. All optical glasses can be framed with your needed prescription by your local optical shop. All glasses are delivered in a branded hard case and cleaning cloth with an old-school Stockholm motif.
At Hall and Co Eyewear, we stock a wide range of the Vasuma brand in-store; if you would like to speak to our eyewear stylists to find the perfect pair for you, give us a call or drop by in-store. You can also check out some of our other fantastic brands that we have available in store by visiting our website.