The Vital Story

Vital Eyewear emerged from our own frustration: the inability to locate stylish and affordable off-the-shelf reading glasses that met the expectations of our valued clientele.

Operating our Auckland optometry and eyewear business, Michael Holmes Premium Eyewear, for over 20 years, we regularly encountered clients who didn’t need complex corrective lenses. But in our search for more simple solutions, we found choice limited to either gaudy designs, poor quality construction, or both.

Backed by Michael’s extensive optical expertise, and Kay’s talent for luxury frame styling and fitting, we knew we had the insight to create the kind of high quality frames our own clients were looking for.

Vital Eyewear is the culmination of almost three years of consideration and refinement.

A particularly challenging 12-week covid-19 lockdown in 2021 offered the time and opportunity to turn our ideas into sketches. We had clear ambitions: frames that were comfortable, design-led and contemporary, while offering a more sustainable choice.

To ensure our range utilised the best materials and offered the most flattering fit, we partnered with an internationally renowned eyewear designer who could refine our designs and offer valuable insight into material and manufacturing.

The result is our stunning collection of high quality, earth-friendly and affordable frames that challenge the status quo of ready-to-wear reading glasses, and most importantly, offer the gift of close-up vision so our clients can do what they enjoy, with ease.

Kay McFarlane & Michael Holmes
Founders