Dominique Pinton: Luxury Imbued with Feeling

By Paddy Kamen

Four Generations of French Designers Create Magic

When Aristote Onassis wanted new sunglasses he sent for Robert Pinton – and flew him to his Grecian Island Paradise of Skiatos to deliver the eyewear in person. And when Marlene Dietrich declared her loyalty to just one man, it was to Robert Pinton, who designed all her eyewear.

Other stars were regulars at the famous optical shop in the Rue de la Pompe in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Cary Grant, Princess Grace Kelly and Jacqueline Kennedy were among the essential icons of the 20th century who made François Pinton eyewear a distinctive element of their glamorous presence.

Dominique Pinton inherited an optical business with an amazing history when he took over the François Pinton eyewear brand 25 years ago. His grandfather, for whom the brand is named, began his business selling fashionable brand names. Dominique’s father, Robert, preferred to design for himself, wanting something more exclusive and luxurious. He reached for the stars and succeeded beyond any eyewear maker of his generation, setting the stage for the intense fashion-orientation of eyewear that we see today.

Dominique was a young man making a name for himself as a fashion photographer with Paris Match magazine when his father urged him to join the family business. “He actually threatened me by saying he would sell the business if I didn’t come on board,” explains Pinton. “So I worked with Rodenstock for a year to learn about the industry and then joined the family business, eventually taking it over.”

Putting his own stamp on this already illustrious company was not difficult for Dominique, who was obviously blessed with a strong design sense. And he is not alone in this: his wife Armelle and more recently their daughter Phillipine (a fashion school graduate) make up the François Pinton design team, working together with a lively exchange of ideas.

Dominique moved the company ever so slightly away from serving the “aristocracy“, to creating high-end luxury eyewear geared to discerning customers who are not keen on the fashion but want something trendy to reflect their personality through tasteful design.

“We devote ourselves to the essential, the design and materials that make for a real luxury product that is unique,” explains Pinton. “Each frame is the result of a never-ending search for new materials and shapes. Each frame is exceptional because it has unique style and design. I want to maintain the company’s reputation for subtle designs, as rich people prefer subtlety.”

The François Pinton store on the Boulevard Raspail in the seventh arrondissement is the laboratory in which these wonderful eyeglasses are conceived.

“There is so much competition in this field, so we choose to represent a niche within a niche. It’s a very exclusive line. We need to move very quickly and give our clientele something different, so we must have two collections ready all the time. We show one and have another ready to go. Because the competition is so intense one needs to move fast,” observes Pinton.

For Pinton, emotion is the key to good design. “We move in the direction of feeling. This is key to our success. If one gives the frames the sensibility of emotion, they sell. For us, therefore, it is important to keep our collections small and cohesive. If there are too many styles you muddy the feeling tone of the collection.”

Once the François Pinton frames are finished the design process, their manufacture is entrusted to the French eyeglass makers of Morez, considered among the best in the world.

Fifteen years ago, Pinton brought the brand to the U.S.A., where it is represented in 600 doors, mostly on the Eastern Seaboard. Twenty-eight other countries also sell François Pinton, including England, South Africa and Australia. The collection is represented in Canada by Audace Lunettes, based in Longueuil, Quebec.

Audace president Nicole Desaulniers was thrilled to obtain agent rights for Canada in 2005. “We were very pleased to have Dominique Pinton here in Canada last September to help launch the collection at the Vision Canada show in Niagara Falls. The trendy designs, combined with the sculptural shapes and gorgeous colours make for a very sophisticated collection,” says Desaulniers.

Despite his growing international reputation, Pinton is intent on keeping his company small. “Our market, like our company, is small and we want to keep it that way. A small company can move more easily as we strive to give consumers a different sensibility.”

There’s no doubt that the François Pinton brand is in excellent hands and that their sunglasses and ophthalmic frames will continue to maintain their magic through four generations of astute and aesthetically gifted Pinton family members.