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Kirk & Kirk opens pop-up store in Shoreditch to celebrate London Design Festival

Tom Bottomley
05 September 2022

British eyewear brand Kirk & Kirk has opened a pop-up shop at 81 Redchurch Street in east London’s Shoreditch, set to run until 29 September 2022, to celebrate the London Design Festival.

The festival promotes London as the design capital of the world, and its 20th anniversary takes places on 17-25 September.

The shop features virtual try-on technology screens so customers are able to experience a live try on, with no need for a separate app or to download a photo.

For the first time ever, the company is also displaying its entire colourful collection, which is handmade from fully recyclable lightweight acrylic from Italy, in the specially designed shop.

Kirk & Kirk grew 42% in 2020, the first year of the pandemic when the demand for quality statement glasses rocketed due to the rise of Zoom meetings and FaceTime, and this year’s growth is estimated to be 30%.

The designer brand has grown from 20 retailers in the UK in 2018 to almost 100 today, and the innovative new pop-up shop is “part of the brand’s major expansion plans”.

Kirk & Kirk Co-Founder Jason Kirk, said: “The business has grown because the demand has increased due to what happened in the lockdown. People needed positivity and excitement wherever they could find it and when you can enjoy something that you put on every day, it becomes emotionally valuable.”

There will be a special event on 9 September with celebrity guests attending including TV presenter Alexis Nunes and Cameron Edwards, one half of British drum and bass DJ and record production duo, Sigma. Then on 20 September founders Jason and Karen Kirk are hosting a sit-down chat allowing guests to ask them questions.

Kirk & Kirk

Jason Kirk added: “Consumers want to invest in quality and invest in themselves. They are buying fewer articles but each of better quality and are prepared to pay more. People are not going into offices like they once did and quality eyewear has replaced some of the traditional sartorial statements like suits.

“It used to be that the only opticians that you heard about were Specsavers and Boots, but social media allows us to discover independent stores and brands from all over the world and opens up huge possibilities for the consumer.”

Karen Kirk commented: “Glasses are a hugely important part of your wardrobe, forgetting the fact that they improve your vision. In these days of Zoom, glasses are even more important, so treat them as the key fashion piece in your wardrobe.”

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