According to a 2020 survey, 77% of women and 68% of men in the UK wear some form of contact lens or glasses. Accounting for the vast majority of the country, despite how many of us need some form of optical aid the actual process of buying a new pair of specs is often fraught with stress. It can also wind up costing a small fortune once adjustments to lens width and coatings have been taken into account. Situated in one of our favourite corners of the city centre, St Anne’s Square’s IOLLA aims to take a lot of the pain out of this process, while offering what can only be described as a huge range to go at.
“We believe that buying glasses should be simple, affordable and fun,” the team tell us. And that starts with the price. Prescription glasses and sunglasses at IOLLA can be picked up for as little as £85, meaning it’s easy to start building a collection for every occasion from a vast choice of in-house designs. Styles range from super-quirky and ultra-colourful to formal and retro. There’s a wide variety, but the quality is always consistent, helping establish the shop as a firm favourite in the eyes of business people, party animals, teenagers, retirees, and everyone in between.
All pairs of glasses and sunglasses can be tried on virtually, then ordered online, but to get the full experience we highly recommend paying the physical showroom a visit. This is where brand identity really shines through, not least on the community wall. Here you’ll find notifications of ‘happenings’ run or facilitated by the team, which — among other things — include Prosecco Saturdays (as good as they sound), one-off and pop-up in-store events. You can also book in for a personal styling session, receiving 1-2-1 advice to find the perfect look to suit your beautiful face.