This Duo Are Making Sunglasses For Athletes

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON LYST - AUGUST 2016

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District Vision was started in 2015 by friends Max Vallot and Tom Daly and set about to challenge the status quo of sports sunglasses—no wraparounds here. Constructed by hand in Japan, each pair of the brand's signature styles rigorously tested on true athletes, and boast hypoallergenic rubber nose pads, adjustable temple tips and sweat repellent frames. We caught up with Max and Tom to discover just how they are revolutionising sports eyewear for the fashion-conscious.

How did you guys meet?

Tom: We met in London when we were about 18, over ten years ago now. It was while we were studying and we lived together as well—there were a lot of fun parties.

What made you decided to set up District Vision?

Max: We were most recently working at Saint Laurent and Acne Studios respectively. Our lives changed for a number for different reasons, but it was mainly because we got really into our own practices. For me it was yoga and for Tom it was marathon running. It made us both reconsider our careers and decide that we wanted to do something on our own.

There are enough brands doing leather jackets and jeans out there, so we decided that we wanted to create something that reflected our lives and an athlete's needs based on our own experiences. The focus ended up being on creating eyewear for sports, specifically running.

Could you explain the testing you initially did with New York runners. Did you learn anything that really surprised you?

Tom: Over two years, we traveled between Japan and NYC with our prototypes in these little Pelican cases. We had different runners put the frames to the test. What’s most surprising is how specialised every runner is in terms of which lenses they use and the performance features they are looking for, e.g.: variable light transmission, protective coatings, and advanced eye protection.

Are you keen runners yourselves?

Tom: I was always running, but I started training more seriously with Black Roses NYC in 2012. Max runs trails on occasion, but as a yoga teacher himself, he is more deeply involved in the practice of yoga and meditation. Both of us feel the common thread between these two practices is the meditative aspect. There’s also the shared idea that a meditative and physically active state are two complimentary means of self exploration.

Why do you think people more focused on wellness and exercise these days?

Max: People have developed a more holistic approach to personal wellbeing than ever before. Take our routine, for example: we have a salad from Sweetgreen, a juice from Juice Press, and we go to yoga at Sky Ting. We buy fewer things but spend more time doing the research. In general, we are exploring the idea of mental wellbeing from a physical standpoint. Interestingly, the concept of using the body as a starting point for holistic wellbeing dates back hundreds of years in yoga philosophy.

Generally when you think of sports sunglasses, you think of wrap-around frames—is this shape something you wanted to steer away from?

Max: Sports sunglasses are a one-stop solution for something that requires a practice-specific solution. We make eyewear for running. We don't make eyewear for sports. We believe in a practice-specific approach to the development and research of our frames. The idea that sports eyewear looks how it does is driven by the need for having one solution for all sports. The reality of it is you can have a much more integrated and purposeful design if you have a more considered approach to the field you are designing for running or cycling.

What features on a pair of DV make them especially suited for activity?

Tom: All District Vision frames have three essential principles: weight, comfort and stability and we put in a lot of R&D. Our performance system only weighs 22 grams. The hypo-allergenic rubber with titanium core can be customized to the runner’s face and we produce all our frames from a proprietary nylon material which is treated and sand blasted by hand to make it very durable in the most extreme weather conditions. Our lens technology is also customized for runners' needs in terms clarity of vision and protection.

How are District Vision frames constructed?

Max: Our sunglasses have a titanium and nylon frame construction. They are all made in Fukui, Japan where we collaborate with a family who has been making eyewear for three generations. The family itself is also passionate about running and one of them, named Keiichi is an avid marathoner. Tom and Keiichi run the Hawaiian marathon every year together and we named our frame in honour of him.

Where do you guys like to work out in the city?

Tom: For running, the Westside highway and the East River Park track are great. The trails of Prospect Park are especially nice to get lost in.

Max: Yoga Shanti as an Lyengar-based school is where my primary teachers are. Sky Ting is a fun downtown institution to mix it up, too, with more cute girls.

How do you guys work out when you are on the road?

Tom: Pretty sure we run faster in the mountains of Fukui.

Max: I practice a minimum of 45 minutes every day no matter where we are—usually in our hotel room when Tom is running.

You’ve got the eyewear covered - but where should we look for the rest of our sporting look? Are there any brands you really can always rely on?

Tom: We are pretty specific with the product we use—we’ve spent a bit too much time testing things. For marathons we like the Streak LT, for tights we like Patagonia and for running backpacks it's North Face Purple Label.

Max: Yoga mats from Jade and shorts from Nike Gyakusou. We’re still waiting for someone to do decent outerwear though.