Cubitts opens new Covent Garden store

British spectacles and sunglasses company Cubitts has announced the opening of their new store based in Covent Garden.

Cubitts Covent Garden takes its inspiration both from the quarter’s historic sundial centrepiece and from the building’s previous incarnation as A. France & Son, undertakers to the likes of King George III. This culminates in the store’s theme of time represented through a design that draws on light leading into shadow.

From the outside, the hand-painted facade and simple window display will echo historical photographs of Monmouth Street as it appeared between the 1940s and the 1970s. Custom cabinetry will feature throughout, in homage to the original undertakers. A designated repairs area will bring Cubitts’ frame services to the fore, allowing customers to see firsthand the tools and techniques used to elongate the lifespan of a spectacle.

In-keeping with Cubitts’ last two store launches, Cubitts Covent Garden will have its own made-to-measure collection, inspired by the area’s rich and oft-macabre history. The four distinctive styles will take their names from the surrounding streets, with shapes inspired by the store’s theme of light and shadow, its previous life as a coffin-makers, and the frames of renowned Covent Garden character and beloved British comic Michael Bentine.

The store will also feature three concept frames that draw further on this history. The first will be made from papier mache, the second will feature a thick acetate rim with a penny-sized lens and the last one will be a chamfered, sundial-inspired frame with gilt brass pins.