For our latest Made in Chinatown merchandise series, we recently partnered with Mott Optical Group on a small capsule collection featuring a T-Shirt and tote bag. The beloved optical store has come a long since its humble beginnings at the corner of Mott and Bayard Streets, and now boasts five locations across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.
Having been in business for over 30 years, Mott Optical has built a loyal following catering to both Asian-Americans and older immigrant generations. One of Mott Optical’s biggest challenges it faced was keeping up with the times, and so they set out to design their own eyeglass collections that catered specifically to the Chinese-American audience.
Using these custom keyhole nose bridge frames as a reference point, our designers Aidan Galassetti and Jen Louie of After School Projects created a modern illustration depicting Mott Optical’s iconic contact sheet (a practice that helped with community building by keeping physical records for each customer) interspersed with various optical tools.
Mott Optical’s mission to always have their people reflected in their products is exactly why they’ve been able to adapt and survive in Chinatown for over three decades. Scoop one of these exclusive pieces now to show your support for a local Chinatown institution. As always, 100% of profits from each Made in Chinatown collaboration goes directly back to each business!