London Mole was founded in 2019 by product designer Jim Read and his wife Chloe, from their factory in Oswestry in the UK. It had been their dream to design and make sunglasses, but the process of starting their new sunglasses company coincided with needing to wear reading glasses themselves. This led to Jim and his design team jumping at the opportunity to add cool reading glasses for men and women to their brand new collection. 

The principle philosophy behind all London Mole designs is that glasses should be comfortable, perform flawlessly, and be a joy to own and be seen in. When Jim started to design London Mole’s collection of reading glasses, his aim was to revolutionise the British eyewear market with cool, affordable reading glasses which strike the perfect balance between style, quality, and affordability. London Mole’s reading glasses for men and women redefine what it means to wear cool reading glasses, with a sharp focus on innovation, design, and accessibility.

So, when Jim starts designing a new style of reading glasses, what inspires him? And what has been the thought process behind some of London Mole’s bestselling frames? We spoke to Jim to find out…

When it comes to Jim’s inspiration for designing reading glasses, he says he “starts with scouting out vintage sunglasses and frames.” It’s no surprise that vintage styles play a big part in Jim’s design process: both Jim and Chloe’s parents were antique dealers, and Jim has always had a fascination with the past, with vintage influences flowing through his work. Jim says he takes these vintage influences and then “fuses the design with modernism…because people like a mix of things from the past, redesigned to be more cutting edge.”

Jim says he particularly likes a combination of “old shapes but with clean modern lines.” The ‘Spy’ style of reading glasses is a great example of this - an 80s style design bought bang up to date with a clean, matt black finish.

Jim’s influences don’t just end with vintage frames- he says he enjoys immersing himself in city life, citing New York, Hong Kong, and particularly London as the cities which inspire him the most.

Jim also enjoys looking for inspiration in cool 60’s and 70’s movies. This is reflected in a number of London Mole’s reading glasses, in particular the best-selling Hollywood and Kennedy styles, which evoke the style and glamour of movies set in this time period.

Another key source of inspiration for Jim and his design team is the understanding that reading glasses are accessories that we find ourselves needing multiple pairs of- whether it’s a couple of pairs around the house, in your bag, or on your desk at work. This belief inspires Jim to pay particular attention to inventiveness, style and quality in his designs, at a price point that means people can easily purchase multiple pairs.

In London Mole, Jim, Chloe and their team wanted to create a brand and products that people fell in love with and wanted to return to. And judging by the fact that more that half of London Mole's customers return to buy from them again and again, it’s safe to say that they seem to have succeeded.