There is a moment in every collector’s life when the accumulation of beautiful things stops being enough. For Andre Montana, that moment arrived about five years ago. He doesn’t remember the exact date, though he can tell you precisely which pair started everything: the Maestro, the first prototype he ever made in Japan. Before that, there were decades of hunting. French frames from the 1950s stamped only with “Made in France.” Téd Fannie from the 80s. Cartier and Hilton from the same era. Christian Dior, Jean Franco Ferret, Fendi, Mugler. A warehouse full of optical history, amassed one piece at a time. “Someone told me: make your own design, why you don’t make your collection?” Montana recalls. The question lodged itself in his mind and stayed there for months. Slowly, he began sketching.Today, Montana sits at an unusual intersection. He runs Vintage Eyewear, a private collection of authentic vintage frames spanning decades and continents, while simultaneously designing new pieces inspired by everything he’s seen. The two businesses feed each other. Collectors who come for a rare 80s Dior often leave with an Andre Montana original.

“I had a private sale for a VIP on Saturday,” he says. “She wanted to try one pair of glasses. She finished by buying five glasses. And they want to see me again on Wednesday, because after I told them the story about vintage glasses, they found out I have also the vintage brand collections. They came for one pair, but now they’re going to finish with so many of them.” Montana’s path to eyewear was never a straight line. He trained in industrial design and engineering, spending years in automotive and aerospace, where he worked extensively with titanium. When the time came to create his own collection, he knew exactly what material he wanted. “Titanium is hypoallergenic, very strong, very light, very easy to plate with gold, very difficult to rust,” he explains. He pulls off the frame he’s wearing (not his own design) and points to corrosion on the stainless steel. “I have to clean this in ultrasonic water with soap to remove the rust. This is why my first thought was to use titanium. And the best titanium is in Japan.” There is another reason. Montana’s designs are complicated. The kind of intricate patterns and precise engineering that most factories won’t touch. “Only Japanese factories can handle this design,” he shares. “They don’t like to make a lot. They are not like Chinese factories doing mass production. They do small quantities, that’s it.” When Montana says small, he means small. His vintage-inspired Andre Montana line is limited to 200 pieces per colour. When they’re gone, they’re gone. “I like to design and make different glasses,” he says. “I want to give to my customer a privilege to earn one of the 200. I can do this. A lot of brands will never do that, maybe 0.01 percent of the industry. I love to design, I love to manufacture, and I love to see different designs every year.”

Inspiration, for Montana, is everywhere. He just returned from Japan, where he was preparing the next collection. Walking through a garden near the factory, he noticed a pattern on the roof of a traditional Japanese house. Out came a pen and paper. He sketched it immediately, snapped a photo, and returned to his studio to refine the drawing. Another time in France, a flower caught his eye. He photographed it, and today he’s developing a rimless sunglass with that flower’s pattern worked into the design. “Basically, it starts anywhere,” he says. “I can be in France, I can be in Japan. I see something interesting, a flower, a bird, an animal, and straight away I can imagine a design in my head.” From paper, the design moves to his computer. Montana does all his own technical drawings and measurements, a skill from his engineering days. He knows immediately, from the size of the frame, whether it will require crystal or gemstones, which materials will complement which details. Then comes 3D modeling, then the factory. A prototype takes between six and nine months. The lenses, too, initially went through a rigorous selection process. He tested French, German, Chinese, and Korean lenses before settling on Japanese. “I try everything first on myself,” he says. “If I’m comfortable, if I feel good, if I like the weight, then I will make it for my customer. If it doesn’t feel good for me, I will never sell anything.” The Japanese lenses he chose are not so dark that they dull your vision, but they protect the eyes completely. “You don’t feel tired after a long day wearing them,” he explains. “They block all the glare without interfering with your visual.”

In May 2022, Montana moved to Dubai – the week of his birthday. Before that, he was between Paris and Australia, travelling constantly to Hong Kong, America, Morocco, Italy. But Dubai offered something different. “I like Dubai. I like the UAE. I like to be in the middle of the Middle East,” he says. “Dubai is the centre of the world. It’s so easy to go to Paris or to go to Asia.” In the last three weeks alone, he’s travelled between Paris, Dubai, and Tokyo, Paris for an optical show, then back to Dubai for a morning, then on a flight to Tokyo by evening. “It’s so convenient,” he says. “And the Middle East basically needs sunglasses. People here love new design, new trends, new concepts. This is why, for me, Dubai is the best place to be.” He handles the Middle East market himself while looking for distributors in Europe, America, and Asia. Saudi Arabia is launching imminently and Kuwait and Qatar are already in the works. Montana describes his customers as individualists. “It’s not about vanity,” he says. “It’s about identity. People want to be seen as individuals. It’s like people who customise their suits. When you wear a nice suit or a nice handbag, you feel confident. Andre Montana gives that. Vintage eyewear gives that. But it’s more versatile. Everyone can feel good in these glasses,” he shares.

Montana then mentions a customer who that very morning purchased a pair from the Ornette collection online. She received them in Dubai and immediately messaged him: “I never saw quality like this. I love them so much. I want to see the full collection.” Montana knows what comes next. She’ll book an appointment. She’ll try on more. She’ll likely buy more than one. His style icon, he says, is already a client. Beyoncé wore his Coral, Aminath, and Miami frames this summer, along with several vintage pieces from his collection. “She’s not scared to try something new, something different, something crazy,” Montana says. “Which I like.” He’s designed pieces with Rihanna in mind, too. A woman known for her love of vintage Chanel, Versace and Dior shades – so he hopes she’ll wear his one day. For a man who’s built a career on understanding what makes people feel like themselves in a pair of frames, it’s perhaps the ultimate compliment.

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