The history of the CHARMANT Group begins in 1956 in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture — the heart of Japan's eyewear production — with the manufacture of small components for eyeglass frames. Since then, building upon Japan's proud tradition of industrial technology, we have pursued innovative ideas free from convention, driven by an unrelenting quest for superior comfort and transforming ourselves from a parts manufacturer into a comprehensive eyewear frame maker. 

 

In 1975, CHARMANT established a sales company to undertake direct sales to optical retailers across Japan. At a time when selling through wholesalers was the industry norm, we broke new ground by going beyond the traditional framework of production and sales, redefining standards within the eyewear industry.

 

Having established an in-house system for creating and selling products, CHARMANT Group began its global expansion, starting with exports in 1980 and the establishment of a local subsidiary in the United States in 1982. In 1992, we opened a factory in China while maintaining our mother plant in Sabae. We successfully integrated Japanese production techniques into our overseas operations to ensure the same uncompromising quality as in Japan. 

 

Since then, through the establishment of global sales and production networks, marketing initiatives and participation in international exhibitions, we have continued to grow worldwide. Today, CHARMANT operates six design offices across the globe and sells over four million eyeglass frames annually in approximately 100 countries, making us one of the world's leading comprehensive eyewear frame manufacturers.

 

In 2009, we achieved a major breakthrough with the development and commercialization of Excellence Titan, a next-generation frame material that delivers unprecedented comfort. This innovation was the result of eight years of joint research between CHARMANT and Tohoku University, Japan, a world authority in metal research. While it had long been common practice to adapt materials from other industries to eyewear, we challenged convention by developing a material from the ground up that was designed specifically for eyewear — an achievement that revolutionized our industry.