STATE OPTICAL CO. ACQUIRES AO EYEWEAR
Two American-Made Eyewear Brands Join Forces
Astorino Eye Center are excited to announce that we are now stocking American Optical sunglass frames, recently acquired by STATE Optical Co. As an eyewear brand dedicated to reinvigorating American eyewear craftsmanship and manufacturing, STATE has been creating luxury eyewear since 2014. Although the companies were founded over 150 years apart, both were born out of the dogged belief that American eyewear craftsmen can make the best eyewear in the world.
AO Eyewear’s heritage, dating back to 1833, is not only full of impressive innovations in manufacturing but also celebrated moments in American history. AO was the first company to provide sunglasses to American military pilots. Their sunglasses were also the first on the moon. The iconic style, now known as the Original PilotTM, was worn by the entire Apollo 11 crew and is now on exhibit at the Smithsonian. JFK’s favorite pair of sunglasses was the AO Saratoga. Even more important than the history of AO Eyewear, though, is their commitment to quality and to American manufacturing.
This opportunity creates the perfect marriage between a luxury acetate collection in STATE and a classic metal collection in AO Eyewear. “For years, AO Eyewear has been a company with unlimited potential, but was held back in part by their inability to produce acetate frames in the US. STATE Optical Co has been similarly limited in regards to metal frames. We’re confident that incorporating both materials into each collection will exponentially benefit both of these American made brands,” said STATE CEO, Scott Shapiro. The much sought after Saratoga sunglasses are here and ready to try in our office, alongside the traditional Original Pilot and Original Pilot 2 frames.
