Reframe Your Style With The 16 Best Men’s Sunglasses Brands

With the explosion of direct-to-consumer eyewear brands these past couple of years, there are more choices than at any time previous if you’re in the market for new men’s sunglasses.

Thankfully, we’re back with another one of our signature BH Buyer’s Guides — to help you narrow down the eyewear brands which are actually worth considering.

From capital-L luxury labels like Tom Ford to the iconic, crowd-pleasing frames of Ray-Ban; these are the best makers of men’s sunglasses we’ve come across this year. And, in all likelihood, for many years to come.

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AHLEM

Paris-born LA designer Ahlem Manai-Platt launched her eponymous label in 2014 — specialising in sunglasses made with sustainable manufacturing and innovative materials.

Now, with almost a decade under her belt, the young American designer is still keeping things fresh: a rare achievement in a market where every brand and their dog is focused on such ubiquitous fodder as the ‘classic wayfarer shape’.

Unusually, AHLEM handcrafts all of its eyewear in France — albeit still from high-quality Mazzucchelli acetate. The brand’s flagship model is the ‘Champ de Mars’: round retro frames joined by an angular bridge; available in a range of sizes to suit different faces.

Though not specifically a style of men’s sunglasses, the ‘Rivoli’ is another popular model that evokes Manai-Platt’s love of mid-20th-century aesthetics and unusual shapes.

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Persol

From Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day to Jack Nicholson in Something’s Gotta Give, luxury sunglasses brand Persol has long been an established favourite of Hollywood jetsetters. Even today, its star power has remained ironclad; with Formula One drivers like Lewis Hamilton counted among the brand’s fans.

Founded by Guiseppe Ratti in 1917, Persol pioneered the ‘Meflecto’ flexible stem system in the 1930s: a groundbreaking innovation in eyewear design, enabling the arms of Persol sunglasses to relieve pressure on the wearer’s temples.

One of the brand’s most enduring styles (even today) is the Persol 714 — famously worn by Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair. Essentially classic aviators marked by a distinctive teardrop shape, they remain one of the best aviator sunglasses one can buy for under $500.

Keen to channel your inner Rake of the Riviera? Then we’d recommend trying the ‘Terra Di Siena’ colourway.

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Oliver Peoples

Based in LA, Oliver Peoples (much like Persols) has been a firm favourite with celebs for many many decades. A good number of BH readers will recognise it from its many namedrops on Entourage.

The brand has also made appearances in Fight Club (Brad Pitt wears a pair of brushed titanium OP-523s) and American Psycho (Christian Bale wears the Gregory Peck-inspired OV5186s).

Now with Ray-Ban and Persol as stablemates, the label is firmly entrenched as a symbol of the splashy, close-up-ready swagger of West Hollywood. That’s not to say that Oliver Peoples is obnoxious — far from it. One of the best sunglasses makers on the market, it has a knack for working cutting-edge metal and acetate into classic styles with a timeless aesthetic.

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Matsuda

With a median price that clocks in well above what you’ll pay for most Luxottica-backed brands, Matsuda certainly isn’t in the business of ‘affordable’ eyewear.

Still, for true eyewear aficionados, the brand’s Japanese-made product speaks for itself: with quality lenses; scratch-resistant frames; and an array of thoughtful, somewhat steampunk designs.

Founded by acclaimed Japanese fashion designer Mitsuhiro Matsuda in 1967, it wasn’t until the mid-80s that the brand released its first full-scale eyewear collection. In all that time, Matsuda has been known as a maker of some of the most stylish sunglasses in East Asia; with its iconic ‘2809’ and ‘2859’ heritage designs finding fanbases abroad (in part, thanks to cameos in Terminator and Succession).

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Mykita

A princely number of design awards have turned the spotlight on German eyewear manufacturer Mykita, which is synonymous with precision engineering and innovation.

Founded in Berlin, the company first started making luxury sunglasses in 2003; eventually, building up such a following that they were invited to design capsules alongside Moncler and Maison Martin Margiela (to name but a few).

Not that Mykita really needs any external input on the art of designing. With a number of idiosyncratic frames that reiterate the company’s progressive ideas about form; Mykita is at its best when it’s keeping things simple and symmetrical. The clean lines of the ‘Ian’ are popular for good reason, as are the ‘Joshua’ and ‘Perry’ styles.

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Rimowa

If you’re scratching your head wondering why Rimowa (makers of the iconic ‘Topas’ suitcase) is now in the business of stylish sunglasses, you’re certainly not alone.

The esteemed luggage manufacturer revealed their first collection in 2023, and it’s clear they’ve been paying attention to what’s been happening in the luxury eyewear game on every level: leaning heavily into the quality construction and function-first style that defines their luggage offering.

Signatures like the polarised ‘Square’ collection (featuring a number of production techniques lifted from Rimowa suitcases) exhibit a thoughtful perspective.

Looking for frames that will last as long as your aluminium carry-on? Then pay close attention to these fashionable shapes.

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Ray-Ban

You knew we were going to get to this one eventually. Luxottica-owned Ray-Ban is probably the most famous manufacturer of men’s sunglasses on the planet — and for good reason. The consistency is unparalleled, crafting classic frames from the highest quality materials and offering up definitive styles like the Wayfarer, Clubmaster, and Aviator.

Originally set up in the 1930s to produce anti-glare eyewear for American combat aviators, Ray-Ban quickly hit it off with civilians; and in so doing, has established itself as the go-to brand for polarized sunglasses all around the globe.

Hollywood star power has factored massively in that commercial success. Denzel Washington wore them in Malcolm X; Tim Roth rocked a pair in Reservoir Dogs; Johnny Depp basically kept them glued to his face for the duration of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas… and the list goes on.

For men, the classic Wayfarer and Aviator styles are more or less bulletproof, where if you want something a touch outside the box consider the Marshal II. This masculine style is a new player in Ray-Ban’s repertoire of classic frames, presented in a metallic hexagonal shape.

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Maison Bonnet

Maison Bonnet makes the world’s most exclusive glasses. That much is true. For ‘money no object’ types, this family-owned French company produces stunning made-to-measure and bespoke eyewear that has made it a favourite of jet setters over the decades.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Yves Saint Laurent were both fans: and they’re just a handful of the high-profile customers who’ve given the Bonnet brand a lot of star power over the last 80 years.

The intricate design process behind each pair of Maison Bonnet frames is a closely guarded secret; but what is known is that this is one of the sunglasses brands offering the most personal customisation anywhere in the world.

Basic frames like the ‘Reza’ or ‘Lowel’ start at ~$2,107, but be warned: that price tag will inevitably start spiking, once you begin to pile on the customisation options. For those who dare.

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Jacques Marie Mage

A brand that has more or less been defined by scarcity, Jacques Marie Mage takes the road less travelled: opting to manufacture small runs of characterful sun and optical frames on a one-off basis. Jerome Mage founded his LA-based outfit in 2015: with the clear goal to craft “bold geometric shapes that recall the idealism and decadence of the 1960s and 1970s”.

Yearly production quotas are intentionally kept low, and they’re usually lapped up by moody thespians like Jeremy Strong and Jeff Goldblum (both of whom have officially collaborated with the brand). Pricey, scarce and most definitely for those who aren’t averse to a little chintz, it’s telling that multiple members of the BH team have happily been wearing Mage’s frames over the last few years.

In terms of immediate visual impact, the slick smoky ‘Yves’ or Zephirin 47 would be our top picks, but it’s the Quentin (part of the brand’s permanent Johnny Cash-inspired collection) that will prove to be the most versatile for a range of face shapes — available in four variations, each limited to 500 pieces.

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Tom Ford

Unsurprisingly, Tom Ford eyewear carries with it a fairly strong premium that almost everybody is happy to stomach given the preeminence of the brand.

Launched around the same time that Tom Ford left Gucci to get into the menswear game (his first women’s collection debuted in 2011), the American designer’s distinctive ‘T’ signed eyewear has been a huge presence over the past decade on and off the big screen. The ‘Snowden’, ‘Marko’ and ‘Henry’ models have all been spotted across various James Bond films, and that only covers the smallest fraction of the brand’s presence in Hollywood.

Not that you need the magic of the cinema to be taken in by a pair of Tom Ford’s best-polarized sunglasses. We like the ‘Jude’ for its big bold, double-bridge construction and smoky gradient lens.

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Carrera

Carrera sunglasses clearly have a more athletic pedigree than most of the other brands on this list. The pioneering company was founded in the ’50s by Wilhelm Anger, an Austrian man who made the leap from working for a small plastics company to producing sports-oriented sunglasses initially inspired by the legendary Carrera Pan-American sports car race.

Highly regarded for using plastic frames, Carrera patented a new form of resin that was 20 per cent lighter than all other forms of plastic used in the sunglasses industry. Going by the name of Optyl, it acts in a similar way to memory foam, in that the resin adapts to the wearer’s face with permanent elasticity and dimensional stability. Nowadays that’s less unique – most high-end sunglasses use Optyl – but since Carrera discovered it, the company became known for manufacturing frames for other big fashion brands, like Christian Dior.

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Dita

Moody black is the aesthetic of choice if you’re going for a pair of DITA frames. It’s another Hollywood go-to brand that’s constantly spotted on the red carpet, with just about every level of celebrity frequently spotted draped in the minimalistic cool that defines the brand.

It was founded in 1995 by Jeff Solorio and John Juniper, who gave DITA the goal of becoming the “it” brand for innovative, high-quality crafted eyewear that’s both unique and exceptionally comfortable. And yeah, that’s just about every other brand on this list, but DITA has managed to stand out thanks to a strong sense of identity and a refusal to chase the more colourful trends that have been popping up lately.

That’s not to say a bit of colour doesn’t go a long way. That charming yellow-gold streak that slaps across the excellent DITA LXN-EVO is irresistible. And while you are looking at around $1,300 for a pair of these thick frames, the attention-grabbing accessory will look boss on just about any bloke.

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Garrett Leight California Optical

Along with Mr Leight along with his father, Garrett Leight stamped his own name on a millennial-focused luxury eyewear brand, typically referred to as GLCO, with the aim of marketing timeless design to a younger crowd.

Like many of the best sunglasses brands, recognition came mostly in the form of celebrity endorsement at first. Everyone from Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt to Jeff Bezos has been spotted donning a pair of GLCO spectacles, which aren’t too distinctive from Mr Leight but clearly skew towards modern-day standards. You’ll spot just as many social media influencers running around with a pair of these as you could actual celebrities, but it’s hard to look past styles like the ridiculously sexy Kinney, which you can grab in Australia for just over $600.

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L.G.R.

L.G.R., named for founder Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, may be handmade in Italy, but the key inspiration behind these sunglasses is an array of spectacular landscapes in North Africa.

In particular, Ruscone looks to the Italian colonial period on the Continent — to try and go beyond Italian eyewear’s usual la dolce vita sensibility. The range varies greatly as a result, but always seems to fuse vintage aesthetics with a contemporary energy.

That idea, of marrying the old with the new, isn’t new of course, but the adventurous way L.G.R. does it makes it a worthy addition to our list. F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is a fan, amongst plenty of other well-dressed public figures who are often seen rocking the brand.

With its timeless and hand-polished acetate shape, the ‘Asmara’ is a fantastic introduction to the brand. The more elegant and conventional styles, like that, are the most popular hand-polished acetate frames; but if you want something a bit more aggressive, consider the ‘Reunion Flap’.

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Moscot

This fifth-generation, family-owned New York label has 100 years of history behind it, with designs inspired by nearly every decade (particularly through the 1930s to 1970s).

Heritage is obviously of huge importance to Moscot, and only the highest quality materials are employed to ensure nothing but the best is cleared for production.

If you really want to tap into the brand’s history, get yourself a pair of ‘Lemtosh’ sunglasses. The style has graced the face of everyone from Buddy Holly and Ryan Gosling, to legendary writer Truman Capote: generally familiar and rounded in shape, but with a few added details to stand apart from other men’s sunglasses namechecked on our list.

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Thom Browne

Although not quite as historic as many of the men’s sunglasses brands on our list, Thom Browne is another highly desirable eyewear label — from the same eponymous designer of American fashion. Browne’s signature tri-colour stripe is incorporated into each pair of sunglasses.

As you’d expect, these are made exclusively in Japan: using a premium 4-bar construction, and frequently, a mixture of acetate and metal.

While most of the collection is made with a mid-century inspiration, be sure to check out the latest cateye styles or any of the titanium frames that incorporate round mesh side shields — a signature for the brand.

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If you’ve enjoyed our shortlist of all the best mens sunglasses on the market, then why not continue reading with a few more of our favourite style-related Buyer’s Guides:

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