Iris Designers: Designer Eyewear in Zamalek

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Iris Designers

- 08/01/2013

Iris Designers: Designer Eyewear in Zamalek

49 Abu El Feda St./Mohamed Mazhar St.
Eyewear
01023434979
12PM-12AM Fri: 2PM-12AM -

reviewed by

Jessica Noble

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Iris Designers: Designer Eyewear in Zamalek

Right opposite Sequoia on Abu El Feda Street in Zamalek, Iris Designers quite possibly intrigues everybody who comes across it. The sign above the door is imaginative; it’s made up of lines of light bulbs and immediately gives the shop a quirky, fashionable feel whilst its gleaming glass front proudly shows off an array of eye-wear, impeccably arranged on rustic-looking, wooden shelves.

The name ‘Iris’ is originally the name of the mythological Greek goddess
of the rainbow but is now the technical name used to describe the coloured part of
the eye. For some of us, wearing eyeglasses is a necessity, not a choice and, because of this, we should feel proud to wear such accessories. This is where Iris Designers comes in.

Iris Designers is a small, family run business where the frames are hand-picked to ensure their collection contains the best designs from the most esteemed designers. We were greeted by one of the shop owners who was able and interested in answering all of our questions regarding the brands, models and even the prescription and non-prescription lens options. The team at Iris are able to fit prescription lenses in all their frames including the most up to date, shock-resistant technology from HOYA.

Iris Designers don’t only stock clear eye glasses; they also have a wide range of chic sunglasses from big names such as Bvlgari, Polo Ralph Lauren, Prada, Burberry, Tom Ford, Dolce & Gabbana, Persol and the ‘jeans of sunglasses’; Ray-Ban and Vogue. Although mostly suitable for women, there are also a small number of male and unisex frames. Ray-Ban and Vogue sunglasses range from around 780LE all the way up to 1500LE, depending on the model. Iris also stock the more unusual lens colours, to add uniqueness to any chosen frames, as well as the exclusive Ray-Ban Tech glasses with two extra, interchangeable lenses for 2460LE.

Although we’re unsure why, the round, Harry Potter type lens shape seems to be coming into fashion for both men and women. Persol have released a pair with a thin metal frame for 1915LE. Iris Designers also exclusively stock some cool, eco-friendly, wooden sunglasses from Shwood with polarised lenses in both a round shape (2500LE) and a squarer one (2100LE).

For ladies, there is a wide selection of glamorous shades. We danced around trying on just about every pair and added most of them to our ever expanding wish list. Firstly, we spotted some classic, black, oversized Bvlgari sunglasses for 3320LE and an equally large Prada pair in a nude colour for 1970LE. We also fell in love with the Meditteranean Bvlgari model sporting stones and gems on the temples – made famous by the adverts – for 3280LE. Alongside these, Dolce & Gabbana have released a stunning pair of on-trend, leopard print sunglasses which are priced at 2900LE.

At the time of our visit, they were running a cute little promotion; we were given five stickers resembling the thumbs up ‘like’ sign on Facebook to stick on our fave pairs. Each sticker is worth a 5% discount so, in theory, we could get up to 25% off the ticket price.

Although the glasses at Iris Designers are a little on the expensive side, the elegance and quality delivered from elite designers is totally worth the money.