There are thousands of glass rims in the market. Mateusz Toporowicz and Agnieszka Prask from Wroclaw came up with the idea to make wooden rims. Now they serve clients in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. They have recently received an enquiry from a Lebanese client who seeks to sell Gepetto glasses in his shop in Beirut. They are planning to showcase their glasses during the upcoming January's Expo in Munich, Europe's largest expo together with that of Paris and Milan, where new trends are set and latest collections are presented.
Unique and fragrant
"Wooden rims must be heavy, mustn't they?" the first idea pops into your head. You couldn't be more wrong. Just weight them in your hand; they are as light as a feather. There is more to these specs that this, however. The bamboo rims are buoyant. There is now way you can sink them. Plus a unique wood structure that makes each pair absolutely unique. They can be knotted or plain, and they age with dignity, e.g. sandalwood is bright at the beginning but it darkens over time. And one more thing. The fragrance. "If you leave your sandalwood glasses in the car, they will make your head spin,'" says Agnieszka laughingly.
A surprise right off the bat
It was August 2013. They prepared the first batch of wooden rims and put up their offer on the Internet, including Facebook. They began with the word of mouth by contacting friends and family in Wroclaw. "I will never forget this. Several hours after launching the web site, our first enquiry came from Warsaw. Somebody ordered two pairs of glasses, but they needed them immediately for a photo session. I still don't know how they found our website," recounts Agnieszka.
They were both happy and anxious. They calculated the costs and counted the materials. The price they offered was 200 PLN. They wanted their peers to afford the glasses. Now students hardly ever can say they have enough cash. They later realised it was too low because they did not counted in the costs of marketing, the utilities, and their own labour, etc.
The job itself? They can certainly earn their living? They don't want to talk about the profits, but they are willing to share the number of rims instead. They sold 3 thousand rims throughout the first year of their activity. They are planning a minimum of ten thousand this year. The money they make are invested in the company. "I still can't get myself to change my fifteen-year-old Volvo," says Mateusz laughingly.
An absent-minded guy, a meticulous gal
We agreed to meet with Mateusz. He came with Agnieszka. "The company is our shared making, and everything we do we do together," said Mateusz when we began the interview. His part of the job is to make and execute new designs. Hers is to take care of marketing and organisation. He is a little forgetful and absent-minded; she is analytical and meticulous. They complement each other beautifully. Agnieszka provides advice, inspiration and sometimes criticism. She is also the first to test the rims. "We come with a new design. I like the design, and then she says that accrding to statistics a different design is going to win more customers. And she is often right," adds Mateusz.
They are both open and laugh very often. They say they get sheepish and are lost for words when giving an interview on the telly. "This is because of camera. Maybe we just need more experience and practice?" wonders Mateusz.
Learning the business
The have been a couple for five years. They were both born in Wroclaw. Mateusz was born in 1987; he first attended Secondary School No. 15 in Nowy Dwór, but his took his school-leaving exam at Acedemic Secondary School in ul Robotnicza. He graduated from the Faculty of Design at the Academy of Fine Arts, Wroclaw, is 2014. Agnieszka was born in 1989 and graduated form Secondary School No. 8 in ul Zaporoska. In June 2014, she made a degree in Physiotherapy at the Academy of Physical Education in Wroclaw. For their generation, the Communist economy is but a history lesson. it the capitalist economy that they are trying to embrace. They say that to design and make the rims is only a beginning because you also have to sell them with profit.
"They don't teach you how to run a business at the Academy of Fine Arts. A graduate who wants to start his own business has to find out more about the law, the tax system and tax calculations, and how to make a business plan too," says Mateusz.
Passionate about wood
Their graduation drawing near, Mateusz and Agnieszka began thinking what to do next. They wanted to do something together. Different ideas came to their minds, e.g. to design patterned leggings or tools to cut fruit into a variety of shapes. "I make glasses because I love wood. My aunt runs a carpenter's shop. As a child I used to go there on holidays. I would make fishing rods or building blocks. I find it very rewarding to work in wood," says Mateusz.
They began in a small room at Agnieszka's flat in Wroclaw. Now they are renting a 60-metre venue is the southern side of the city. Their prototypes are made by a 3D printer. Then they are tested and verified. Mateusz and Agnieszka measure the width of the nose bridge, etc. They also survey their clientèle. For example, when they go to a party, they take a dozen or so glasses with them and give them to people to try on. For them, this is an opportunity to improve their designs.
Glasses made of barrel wood, or what type of wood is the best
The wooden glasses are produced using two different technologies: a layer technology (many layers of veneer) and using solid wood. The former is used to produce corrective glasses, the latter for sunglasses. "This is determined by the girth of the rims. The layer technology allows you to produce thinner rims. Sunglasses in turn are usually produced with solid wood, e.g. bamboo or rosewood, and are at least 4 mm thick," explains Mateusz.
They use veneer made of silver maple and camwood. They used to make spectacles from beechwood or old wine barrels, but now they prefer exotic wood. "Exotic trees give better quality. Their crowns are higher. They have virtually no knots and offer better resistance to changing weather," explains Mateusz and adds that exotic wood can now be imported from all corners of the world. They went to China to see where the bamboo they use for production is growing.
No factory, for the time being
Mateusz does not get cross if someone says he whittles in wood. He doesn't bother now that that business is growing. They began letting the job to tested companies with suitable machining equipment. For the time being, they prefer not to think about their own production line. This is not sustainable at this stage. They cooperate with an optician and a designer. They have an assistant, a salesperson and a serviceman. "We produce in batches. For instance, we come up with five new designs. We make a prototype and let the production in several dozen trial copies. If they sell, we produce another batch," says Mateusz.
The production process requires that special technology is used. The rims are dried off to prevent future deformation, then they are oiled or waxed. Wooden rims need virtually no maintenance while in usage. They come with a lifelong warranty.
How Gepetto came across the specs
They began with a different name. Their first name was woody. The brand Gepetto has been there for a year and a half. They have all rights reserved to the trade mark and logo in Europe. "Gepetto was Pinocchio's father, which immediately brings wood to mind," explains Agnieszka.
Celebrated producers add the location to the name of the brad, e.g. Etnia Barcelona or IC Berlin. The guys from Gepetto have not decided yet to make a similar move, but this might change in the future.
Who chooses Gepetto, or a fashion for glasses
Do Polish people care about the rims? "Increasingly," explains Agnieszka. In Western Europe, your glasses add to your good looks. So it is no wonder you can a few matching pairs that go nicely with your clothes, shoes or a bag. People play with their shapes and colours. Polish people tend to have one pair only and for many years too (according to statistics, Polish customers change their rimes once in 7 years), but this is also changing gradually.
They say that their friends and family are wear their glasses only. They bought their first pair, the rest of the collection is gifts. Their clientèle spans politicians, actors, musicians and journalists. They say that each interview they give starts with a question how many celebrity clients they have. They are slowly becoming tired of such questions. "Our glasses are virtually for everyone," says Mateusz and adds that rosewood is perfect for music fans because many type of guitars are in fact made of rosewood.
You choose the rims to complement your face. Customers at Gepetto can choose a suitable design online. "As we get to know someone better, we pay more attention to the face, the looks and the smile. The glasses can speak volumes about their owner. Before offering the rims, a good optician should first speak to the customer to find out more about their needs. Glasses by Gepetto are for the people with a spark, are active, open and adventurous. We have glasses for people of all ages, from teenagers to old age pensioners," says Mateusz and adds that the customers often send them their pictures and ask for a specific design. "The best thing you can do is visit an optician's shop. This is particularly important for corrective glasses," says Mateusz.
They collaborate with three optician's shops in Wroclaw, and ca. 120 such venues in Poland. Their sunshades are marketed by boutiques.
Success ahead
They are very reticent when it comes to the plans. They get very equivocal and say you never know what their competitors might do. They have already learnt the hard way once. "We won't give up wood," says Agnieszka laughingly. They don't think they are successful entrepreneurs. They see themselves as successful individuals, and they are passionate about what they are doing. How do they imagine themselves in ten years' time. They want to be the most recognisable company in the wooden accessories sector. First in Europe, then elsewhere in the world.
