Back in 1988 when I had Eye-Tech in Soho, a customer of mine came in and told me about a great range of glasses called Oliver Peoples. I rang the company in Los Angeles and the phone was answered by Larry Leight, the chief honcho. When I asked if they had a rep in the UK, he fell apart laughing - he had only just started wholesaling and hadn't even thought about foreign distribution.

The more we spoke, the more I wanted his product, so I said that I was prepared to buy 20 frames unseen and take a risk. He still wasn't interested! After some humiliating begging, I convinced him to sell to me and a week later, having sold them all, I re-ordered more; eventually we met at one of the trade shows and I had an exclusive on the product for two years.

Times have changed, but I'm pleased to say that Larry's designs are still as good as they ever were and I'm proud to say that Oliver Peoples is our number one brand by a long way.

We are the UK's largest stockist of Oliver Peoples sunglasses and ophthalmic frames.