Mykita

If you want eyewear that is engineered as carefully as it is styled, Mykita is a compelling buy. Every frame is hand-assembled in the brand's Berlin manufactory, and its patented screwless design solves the hinge failures that plague ordinary glasses. For people who wear frames daily and value lightness and durability, that craftsmanship usually earns its price.

The cost reflects how the frames are made. Mykita products are hand-assembled in Berlin rather than mass-produced, and the signature screwless, weldless hinge is a patented innovation that took real engineering to develop. You are paying for that handwork, the materials and a design where the technical solution is also the aesthetic.

It is the brand's defining feature. Mykita's first metal collection, Collection No1, launched in 2004 with a patented hingeless design that uses no screws or welded joints. That openly displayed spiral hinge means there is no tiny screw to loosen or fail over time. It is both the engineering and the look that make a Mykita instantly recognisable.

All of them are hand-assembled in Berlin, in the brand's own manufactory often called the Mykita Haus. Since 2014 the headquarters has been in the historical Pelikan-Haus in the Kreuzberg district. That single-site, hands-on production is central to the brand's quality story.

Mykita was founded in 2003 by Harald Gottschling, Daniel Haffmans, Philipp Haffmans and Moritz Krüger. In 2015 the first three announced their resignation, leaving Krüger as CEO and Creative Director. He has steered the brand's design direction since then.

It comes from the brand's very first home. The name is derived from Kita, a common German abbreviation for Kindertagesstätte, and references the firm's first premises in a former day nursery. It is a quietly personal origin story for a brand now known worldwide.

Mylon is a polyamide-based material Mykita introduced in 2010, a first for the eyewear industry. Frames are made individually using selective laser sintering, a 3D-printing technique, in a zero-waste process where unused powder is recycled. The result is exceptionally light frames that are also thermally adjustable to fit.

The range is organised into distinct lines. Collection No1 is the stainless-steel screwless metal range and Collection No2 is acetate, while Lite offers the lightest models built from just three parts, Decades reinterprets 20th-century spectacle shapes, and Luxe emphasises naturally sourced materials. Whichever you choose, the underlying engineering carries across the range.

It has worked with a notable roster. A 2009 collaboration with designer Bernhard Wilhelm produced the mirrored Franz sunglasses, which gained international attention after Sarah Jessica Parker wore them in Sex and the City 2, and Mykita has since collaborated with Moncler, with Leica in 2020 and with Rimowa in 2025. Those partnerships show how the brand bridges fashion and design.

They are built to last, with a few caveats. The screwless hinge removes a common point of failure, and the materials and assembly are high quality, but the frames are deliberately thin and light for comfort, so they are durable rather than indestructible. Treat them with reasonable care and they are designed to serve for years.

Keep it simple and gentle. Clean the lenses with a soft cloth and appropriate cleaner, store the frames in a case when not in use, and avoid leaving them in extreme heat. Because the hinge is screwless, there is one less component to worry about loosening over time.

Frame styles here evolve slowly, so there is no real penalty for buying outside any particular season. End-of-season windows can occasionally surface better pricing on sunglasses, but the smarter approach is to choose the shape and fit that suit your face. A well-chosen Mykita frame stays relevant for years.