Brand Photography with Creative Makers, Cubitts
Who: Cubitts
What: Makers of bespoke spectacles
Where: Kings Cross, London
I've recently completed a branding shoot with creative makers Cubitts. Bespoke spectacles were not something I'd considered until I started talking to the Cubitts team. In a video on their website Cubitts' founder Tom Broughton explains that originally all spectacles were unique, made-to-measure for the wearer and their occupation.
My spectacle buying has always been limited to the standard frames from a well-known High Street optician. However, Cubitts offer something very different; all their acetate frames – I counted over fifty on their website – can be made-to-measure in more than 130 colours. That's 6,500 colour/frame combinations alone!
I met Adam, the head of the workshop, who introduced me to the team and took me through the bespoke process. In the first stage, the frame and arms are cut to a standard pattern by a CNC machine, an automated computer-controlled process.
After that, they are entirely crafted by hand. I followed Pauline and Will as they cut, filed, measured, scraped, measured some more, drilled and polished. This is a highly-skilled process. Each pair of spectacles is made to fit the exact measurements of the wearer's head.
“A great tribute to our wonderful workshop.”
One element that most appeals to me is a byproduct of the Cubitts process that the frames are designed to be reused. The frames are designed so, as your prescription changes, the lenses can be replaced. I've always hated that the frames are effectively thrown away each time my prescription changes.
New frames are just part of the story. While I was there, one of the workshop team, Enj, worked on repairs and rehabs. Repairing, renovating, fettling and cleaning clients' frames is a key part of the service. Removing the lenses to clean them, then polishing the frames and ensuring everything fits just as it should.
Environmental portraits are one of the aspects of the brand shoot that I most enjoy. I always bring lighting equipment with me, just in case. But if it's available, there's nothing to beat natural light. Gloriously, one wall of Cubitts' workshop is a north-facing window, making it a dream to shoot in.
Showing the maker behind the product is so important. Natural light or strobe, I always make sure I shoot portraits if the client is open to it. We know seeing the maker behind the product allows customers to make a genuine connection with the company; that's especially true for creative purchases.
If you'd like to discuss how a documentary branding shoot could help your creative business, please get in touch.
