What Anne & Valentin Eyewear does

Anne & Valentin is a French designer eyewear company founded in 1981 in Toulouse and operated through the legal entity VGI – Anne et Valentin – SAS. The company designs, manufactures, and sells prescription optical frames and sunglasses under its Anne & Valentin, SUPERKIDS, SUNSET, PUNCHLINE, JUXTAPOZ, SUNNY BOLD, LUOS, and WALALAND names. Frames are produced in two primary facilities — acetate and standard lines from factories in the Jura region of France (with a manufacturing partnership of over 20 years), and titanium-based frames from specialist workshops in Japan — using proprietary techniques including reprise cutout detailing, titanium-acetate material blending, and 18-carat gold plating on limited editions.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market: 11 company-owned boutiques across France (Toulouse, Paris Marais, Paris Saint-Germain, Lyon, Montpellier, plus two dedicated Superkids stores in Toulouse and Rennes) and the United States (three Manhattan locations and Seattle), combined with a wholesale channel of independent optician resellers, online appointment booking, and organic social media for brand awareness. In-store experience includes personalized optical consultations, eye exams, fittings, adjustments, and style advice. The brand targets design-conscious adult consumers, children and teenagers through the Superkids line, and art collectors via limited-edition collaborations.

Anne & Valentin has remained a privately held, founder-led company with no disclosed external funding, no public listing, and a relatively modest 67-person headcount supporting design, retail operations, and headquarters functions. Manufacturing is intentionally kept at specialist partners rather than fully vertically integrated, and the brand positions itself as the antithesis of mass-market eyewear, emphasizing artisanal craftsmanship, artistic expression, and curated retail experience as the basis for its pricing power.

Name

Anne & Valentin Eyewear

Legal name

VGI – Anne et Valentin – SAS

Website

https://anneetvalentin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Anne & Valentin is a privately held French designer eyewear house, founded in 1981 in Toulouse, that designs and manufactures premium optical frames and sunglasses — produced in France's Jura region and Japan — and sells them through 11 owned boutiques across France and the United States, a network of independent optician resellers, and dedicated children's stores under the Superkids sub-brand, serving design-conscious adults, children, and eyewear collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Designer Eyewear

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (456130), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & Designer Eyewear (CRAAAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Eyewear (Sunglasses & Optical) (CRAKAFAG), Prescription Eyewear Frames (Optical) (CRAAAKAA), Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Designer eyewear
• Prescription optical frames
• Sunglasses manufacturing
• Titanium eyeglass frames
• Children's eyewear

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (Direct-to-Consumer): Anne & Valentin operates 11 company-owned retail boutiques in France (Toulouse, Paris-Marais, Paris-Saint-Germain, Lyon, Montpellier) and the USA (3 NYC locations, Seattle), and 2 dedicated Superkids stores. Revenue is generated through direct in-store sales of prescription eyewear and sunglasses to end consumers. Stores offer personalized optical consultations, eye exams, fittings, adjustments, and style consultations. Online appointment booking drives foot traffic.
2. Wholesale / Reseller Distribution: Anne & Valentin distributes its eyewear through a network of independent optician resellers (revendeurs), allowing customers who do not have access to a boutique to purchase the brand through local optical stores. This complements the direct retail footprint with broader geographic reach.
3. Limited Edition Collectible Frames: The LUOS limited edition (only 150 pieces) is sold as a collector's piece with a bespoke case and certificate of authenticity. The WALALAND collaboration frames are numbered limited editions. These premium collectible pieces serve as brand halo products that reinforce artistic positioning and drive brand desirability.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Anne & Valentin is a French designer eyewear brand that designs, manufactures, and retails premium prescription optical frames and sunglasses. Frames are designed in-house at the Toulouse creative studio and produced in the Jura region of France (acetate and standard frames) and in Japan (titanium-based frames). The brand operates dedicated children's eyewear (Superkids) and limited-edition collector lines, sold through company-owned boutiques and authorized independent optician resellers.

Product overview

Anne & Valentin is a French designer eyewear brand offering a unified portfolio of prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses. The product range spans optical frames (acetate, metal, and combined materials), sunwear collections, and a dedicated kids line called Superkids. Key collections include PUNCHLINE (titanium optical frames made in Japan), SUNSET (acetate sunglasses), JUXTAPOZ (titanium-acetate combination sunwear), SUNNY BOLD (bold acetate sunglasses), and Superkids Acetate (children's eyewear made in France). The brand also releases limited edition pieces including LUOS (a gold-plated titanium collector's item limited to 150 pieces) and WALALAND (a collaboration with artist Camille Walala). Manufacturing is primarily in France (Jura region for most frames, with titanium models from Japan).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LUOS: Limited edition collector's piece featuring 18-carat gold-plated titanium frame, crafted in Japan. Only 150 pieces exist. A sculptural, fantastical eyewear piece inspired by Jean Cocteau.
• WALALAND
• SUPERKIDS
• JUXTAPOZ
• SUNSET
• PUNCHLINE

Products and services

• Optical Eyewear Prescription eyeglass frames available in acetate, metal, and combined materials, including rectangular, round, and geometric shapes. Designed for adult wearers seeking distinctive, expressive eyewear.
• SUNSET Sunglasses

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of partnership with the same factories in the Jura region for Made in France production (excluding titanium models).
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Camille WalalaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnne & Valentin collaborated with French artist Camille Walala, whose London studio is globally renowned for its direct, colorful graphic language and giant murals. The result is the WALALAND concept — a limited numbered edition featuring bold, block-like frames with graphic bas-reliefs, asymmetrical temples, and vibrant colors. Camille Walala's studio and Anne & Valentin's eyewear expertise merged to create frames described as 'a shared playground' between the two creative worlds. Frames feature geometric compositions echoing urban architecture, city playgrounds, and vintage arcade gaming aesthetics.
• EssilorminorOthersEssilor provides lens products for Anne & Valentin's Superkids stores. Essilor lenses are guaranteed against breakage or scratches (with a deductible) for children's eyewear purchased at Anne & Valentin Superkids locations. In the event of a change of correction, Anne & Valentin offers a 100% discount on lenses within 6 months of purchase — this discount is facilitated through the Essilor partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jacques Marie Mage: Los Angeles-based luxury designer eyewear brand producing limited-edition, art-driven frames. Directly comparable to Anne & Valentin's artist collaboration strategy (e.g., Camille Walala/WALALAND) and collectible positioning.
• Dita Eyewear: Japanese-made luxury eyewear brand with premium pricing and selective distribution. Comparable manufacturing provenance story (Japan titanium) and aspirational designer positioning.
• Garrett Leight California Optical: California-based designer eyewear brand with own boutiques and mid-luxury positioning. Recently acquired by LVMH's Thélios, illustrating the typical exit path for indie designer eyewear of comparable scale.
• Mykita: Berlin-based luxury designer eyewear brand with own retail stores, in-house design, and Made-in-Germany manufacturing ethos. Closely comparable to Anne & Valentin in size, premium positioning, and integrated design-to-retail model.
• ic! berlin: German designer eyewear brand known for patented screwless hinge construction and own retail. Similar premium designer ethos, in-house design language, and European craftsmanship narrative.
• Lindberg: Danish luxury eyewear brand specializing in titanium frames with own boutiques and designer positioning. Comparable to Anne & Valentin's titanium-heavy PUNCHLINE line and premium designer customer base.
• Cutler and Gross: British luxury designer eyewear brand with heritage dating to 1969, own retail boutiques, and high-end designer positioning. Similar boutique-led distribution and artistic design heritage.

Broad incumbents

• Oliver Peoples: Luxury American eyewear brand owned by EssilorLuxottica with broad distribution in department stores and own stores. Operates in the same premium optical retail segment Anne & Valentin targets, with much greater scale and reach.
• Tom Ford Eyewear: Luxury designer eyewear line produced under license by EssilorLuxottica. Operates in the same luxury designer eyewear category as Anne & Valentin but with vastly larger global marketing and distribution.
• Persol: Italian luxury eyewear maison owned by EssilorLuxottica with global distribution. Overlaps with Anne & Valentin's premium positioning but reaches a much larger customer base through department-store and optical-retail channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Anne.et.Valentin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/anneetvalentin
• Instagraminstagram.com/anneetvalentin
• Pinterestfr.pinterest.com/anneetvalentin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Anne & Valentin Eyewear