For the team at Very Spexy, eyewear can make just as big a fashion statement as a designer handbag or a pair of killer heels.
That’s why you won’t find the walls in the Peterhead optical boutique lined with bog-standard frames effectively copied and pasted only in muted shades of black, blue and brown.
Instead, glasses of all shapes and sizes in a rainbow of colours peer out from the stands – many of which are literally one of a kind.
Very Spexy’s collection offers a look into something new, and an opportunity for the north-east to be at the forefront of the latest in eyewear trends and technology.
Eyewear to be excited about
Jon Mitchell opened Very Spexy three years ago.
The name, as you may have guessed, came from a natter over a glass of wine.
“My partner said ‘you can’t call it that’, so I said ‘that’s exactly what we’ll call it then’,” said Jon.
He noticed from two decades in the optics industry that fashionable frames hadn’t made their way to the north-east.
“I had seen that glasses tended to be very expensive and the choice very limited,” said Jon.
“What we decided to do was bring the independent eyewear you would find in mainland Europe or London to the north-east.”
He added: “We want to make it easier for people to make good choices when it comes to eyewear, to help them find glasses they can be proud of, that make them feel beautiful and that they can be excited about wearing.”
Creating an experience
Very Spexy is not an optician, but it does offer an entire experience when it comes to selecting eyewear.
“We offer one-to-one eyewear styling and our reputation relies on people leaving us looking good, that’s how we get new customers,” explained Jon.
“When people come to collect their glasses we give them a glass of prosecco, they get a card and a gift, we make them excited to try them on and make sure it feels like something special.”
You won’t find their styles in other high street eyewear shops. That’s because the three-strong team are constantly striving to be ahead of the curve in both style and technology.
“We travel the world for the best eyewear we can find,” he said. “On our recent trip to Milan we found new products to bring back to the north-east.”
Jon added: “We try and lead the way in what we’re doing and I think we’re pretty successful.
“We set the standard and challenge our peers to create a better experience for customers.”
This eclectic range of styles is reflected in the loyal customers that visit Very Spexy time and time again.
Joh said: “Our customer base tends to be made up of people who care about what they wear, they’re fashion conscious and they’re looking for something a bit different.
“Anyone who arrives here really wants to be here.”
Doing their bit
Jon doesn’t shy away from the fact that the industry he loves can have a negative impact on the environment.
He said: “The optics industry as a whole isn’t very sustainable – we grind down lenses through a milling process that creates microplastics, that’s unavoidable. For me, we try and think outside the box with everything we do.”
Thinking outside the box here means coming up with ways to work sustainably wherever possible and using Very Spexy to do positive things for the environment.
In 2022 alone, the team planted 1,311 trees after pledging to plant one for every pair of glasses sold.
Very Spexy is also the first supplier in the UK to work with Karun Eyewear – an entirely sustainable eyewear brand that not only recovers waste materials from the sea but tells customers what date, where and by whom they were recovered.
Ever evolving
Jon ensures the optical boutique has a valued place in the community, constantly looking for the next thing the team can get involved in.
They sent frames to the frontline in Ukraine last year after hearing women were fleeing their homes without their glasses.
Looking forward – through multicoloured glasses – Jon said Very Spexy will continue to expand its portfolio of brands and services, including his own line Jon Mitchell Eyewear.
They already have customers around the world who they want to keep enticing back, doing so by evolving and continually moving forward.
“In our industry, the approach seems to be ‘we do what we do because that’s how it’s done’,” said Jon.
“But at Very Spexy, we throw that right out the window.”
To book learn more or book an appointment, go to veryspexy.shop, download the Very Spexy app, call 01779 403940 or pop into store at 59 Broad Street in Peterhead.
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