J.F. REY — Marseille
Forty years of eyewear design
For forty years, J.F. REY has been designing eyewear. Objects created for the face, shaped by material, colour and detail.
01 Where we come from
From the Jura to Marseille
The story begins in the Jura, the historic home of French eyewear.
From an early age, Jean-François Rey discovered the precision of the craft, an understanding of materials and the demands of manufacturing. From his very first drawings, he saw eyewear as more than a purely functional object.
During the 1980s, his work entered the world of fashion. Collaborations with Agnès B., Bensimon, Issey Miyake and Marithé + François Girbaud contributed to a new way of looking at eyewear: as an object capable of transforming a silhouette and expressing a personality.
Based in Marseille, he developed a personal language of graphic structures, contrasts and colour. In 1995, J.F. REY became a brand in its own right and began building its international presence.
Eyewear meets fashion
The first collections and collaborations introduced a freer approach to the optical frame.
J.F. REY defines its language
In Marseille, the brand developed an identity built around design, colour and construction.
New technical directions
Metal, carbon, wood, layered structures and additive manufacturing broadened the field of possibilities.
The studio today
The studio continues its research through new structures, new materials and new uses.
02 A way of designing
Not one shape. A way of thinking.
J.F. REY is not defined by an aesthetic formula repeated from one season to the next.
Each collection explores a new relationship between the face, shape, material and colour. This diversity is connected by a shared method: questioning the obvious, refining every detail and giving purpose to every design choice.
Structure
Lines, hinges, negative space and volumes are considered as elements of the same architecture.
Colour
It emphasises a structure, reveals depth or creates tension. It is never treated as mere decoration.
Material
Every material is selected for its appearance, but also for the technical solutions and sensations it makes possible.
The face
A frame does not exist in isolation. Its proportions, balance and comfort are always assessed on the face.
03 Form and function
Technology is part of the design
A front, temples and hinges are not separate elements. Together, they form a whole.
Our designers work simultaneously on the frame’s silhouette, its construction and its relationship with the face. A hinge can become a graphic element. An assembly can create volume. A reinforcement can define a line.
Technology is not added after the styling stage. It directly contributes to the identity of the object while meeting the demands of lightness, flexibility, strength and comfort.
04 Materials
Bringing materials together
A material is never selected solely for its appearance, but for what it makes possible.
Cut, layered, openworked, coloured or combined, materials create new depths, tensions and balances. Contrasts between matte and polished surfaces, flexibility and rigidity, transparency and density become part of the design.
Acetate
For depth of colour, intricate cutting and the sculpting of volume.
Metals
Titanium, stainless steel and aluminium allow for precise, refined and lightweight structures.
Composites
Carbon, wood and technical fibres combine performance, texture and a distinctive visual character.
Additive manufacturing
3D printing opens the way to geometries and structures that are difficult to achieve through traditional processes.
05 Research, test, build
Innovation is measured in the object
For J.F. REY, a new idea must deliver a result that can be seen, felt or used.
Across its collections, the brand has explored layered structures, combinations of carbon and wood, additive manufacturing, three-dimensional fronts and exclusive hinges without screws or welding.
From models that have become icons to the Carbon Inside, Sledge and Carbonwood concepts, each project extends the same line of research: evolving the structure of the frame without separating design from use.
- Construction Layers, cuts, volumes and assemblies become elements of expression.
- Hinges The hinge is considered both as a technical component and as a visible part of the design.
- Combination Materials with different properties are brought together within one structure.
- Use Research seeks a tangible balance between identity, lightness, flexibility, strength and comfort.
06 The collections
Different expressions, one method
Each collection responds to different faces, uses and personalities.
They do not seek to reproduce a fixed signature. They share the same attention to construction, colour, comfort and detail.
Men
Assertive structures, combinations of technical materials and precise work on lightness and hinges.
Women
Expressive lines, sculpted volumes and colour developed through nuances, transparencies and contrasts.
Kids & Teens
Frames designed for faces in motion, combining identity, comfort, strength and ergonomics.
Sunglasses
A field of expression in which proportions, colours and volumes can take on a more radical dimension.
07 What sets us apart
The product as a whole
J.F. REY is a design house entirely dedicated to eyewear.
Our studio approaches the product as a whole: concept, design, colour, material, construction and technical development. Colour is not added at the end of the process. Technology is not hidden. Functional components can become visual signatures.
This approach allows us to create very different collections while maintaining a recognisable identity. J.F. REY is not built around a formula, but around a culture of the product and a consistent way of approaching design questions.
08 A long-term approach
Designing with discernment
Design alone is not enough. A frame must be precise, comfortable and built to last.
Every proposal goes through a process of development, adjustment and refinement. The choice of a material, thickness or assembly must respond to use as much as to aesthetic intent.
This responsibility is part of an ongoing process. It favours concrete decisions, construction quality and product longevity over broad statements.
09 Recognition
Designs recognised around the world
For more than twenty years, J.F. REY creations have regularly received leading international awards in design and eyewear. These distinctions recognise the design, technical expertise and the brand’s ability to develop new solutions.
International awards
Optical, sun and children’s frames have been recognised for their design, construction and technical innovations.
SILMO d’Or — iF Design Award — Japan Eyewear Award — V-Award — Graziella Pagni Award
10 J.F. REY today
The work continues
The history of J.F. REY is not a catalogue of forms to be reproduced.
The archives, iconic models and innovations developed over forty years remain active working material. They allow the studio to understand what defines the brand’s identity and to move it forward.
The Sledge and Carbonwood collections, together with J.F. REY LAB projects, continue this exploration of visual expression, material and construction.