An interview with Dan Scott, The Eyewear Stylist

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“Dan Scott is not your average optician,” says Manchester’s MediaCity website. “He offers a stylist’s eye to the process of selecting glasses – and from his studio in MediaCity’s Arrive building, he delivers a completely new optical experience to clients.”

Scott’s journey has also been far from average. From his beginnings as a pop musician through his years as a locum optician to his current role dispensing expert advice on the glasses and sunglasses that will “not only suit you, but enhance how you look and feel,” Scott already seems to have packed a few lively careers into a few short years.

But as The Eyewear Stylist, it seems that Scott has found his true calling. Here, he speaks to The New Optometrist about how his passion for creativity and sustainability fuels his mission to match clients to the eyewear that is best for them – and best for the environment.

How did you get started in the eyewear business?

I was always very creative, but I thought I’d better do something practical at university so I studied accounting. That soon proved very boring – so instead I found myself spending all my time doing music, running open mic nights, and playing with my band. I quickly realized that music was actually my passion. After my degree, I applied to a music college in Brighton, but I had to take a year out because I’d applied a bit too late.

In the meantime, I went back to college to do an A-level in Music Tech and I joined my dad in setting up a company called Happy Glasses. I should note that both my parents are opticians. We had this idea to buy discontinued big brand stock – Calvin Klein, Ray-Ban, and so on – and sell it at a discounted price. But for every frame sold, we donated a portion of the proceeds to Vision Aid Overseas. I helped to run the company for a year, then I went to Brighton and did the songwriting course, and ended up setting up my own band. The band did quite well; we toured the country, had songs featured in TV shows, and worked with Grammy-winning songwriters. I nearly got signed by Ed Sheeran’s management – yes, it’s one of those “nearly” stories!

The musician life ended up being frustrating and I eventually split with the band. My parents asked if I’d help them out in the lab, glazing lenses among other things. My dad suggested I should qualify as an optician, saying it would be a good fallback career for me in between my music activities. He said, “You could do locuming. You could do a shift in Glasgow one day and play a gig there that night. You could work for two weeks, then go on tour for two weeks.” I hadn’t wanted to go into the optical business at all. I never wanted a 9-to-5 job. But the prospect of working as a locum, not being chained to one job or one place – that was more appealing.

How did you get from locum optician to The Eyewear Stylist?

I worked with my parents for about two years at our independent opticians in Herefordshire. But being in my mid-twenties, coming from a touring band, signing girls t-shirts, and featuring in music festivals, it was quite the culture shock to be back living with my parents, spending my days in a sleepy town glazing lenses for old people in a windowless room! I could only cope with that for so long. I began to get more involved in choosing the frames and taking more interest in the business. I started doing research into frames and asking, “What are the cool frames out there?” Then I discovered Theo eyewear – frames in all these amazing colors and shapes and sizes. I remember going to London specifically to find an optician that carried Theo eyewear. I just wanted a pair for myself, something a bit crazy. It opened my eyes to the fact that there is a lot more creativity in the eyewear industry than I’d realized.

I saw a job advert for Jones and Co. Styling Opticians in Manchester – and they carried Theo eyewear. I applied for the position, even though I wasn’t yet qualified. But I was so passionate about eyewear, they took me on. I worked there for a couple of years (before and after qualifying), but eventually I wanted more free time to get back into music. So I began locuming, as was the plan, but after doing record sales at each of the practices I was locuming at, the owners’ ears pricked up and I started getting asked to train the staff.

Although I was enjoying my work, there was a trace of frustration in that I wanted to know more about styling, what it actually involves, how to really gain expertise – so that my styling advice was driven by expert knowledge rather than my opinions. So I went down to London to train with an experienced personal stylist, who was more at the cutting edge of style and design. After that, I took some time deciding what I wanted to do next and I became aware of what Jon Mitchell was doing with his Very Spexy Optical Boutique up in Scotland. I thought, “I’d love to do something like that.” Anyway, I got on the phone with Jon and he said, “Dan, you can do it!”

So, I followed my idea to be a personal stylist – like people have for clothes, but specifically for eyewear. I started by visiting people at their houses, but soon a client asked if they could come to me. I got a space in Media City in Salford, where I’m based today. I still do home visits for clients, but a lot of people come to my studio. It’s not quite the traditional thing, where you’re the “local optician,” however – I have clients all over the country.

How do you keep up with the new trends in eyewear?

I actually think it’s a duty of mine to go to the eyewear trade shows around the world and keep abreast of what’s fresh. There’s so much out there and things are constantly changing; there are rapid improvements happening in frames and lens technology. I first saw no-reflection lenses out in Italy, and in Paris I discovered frames made from coffee beans…

Your passionate about sustainability – but is it tough to combine sustainability and style?

It’s a challenge, but there are more and more creative ways to drive sustainability. I offer Feb31st frames, for example – and you can’t get more sustainable than making something to order out of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-approved, ethically sourced wood. I’m also part of the MediaCity Sustainability and Social Value Network, where we put our heads together and decide what we can do as a community to improve not just the sustainable credentials of the area, but also the social values in terms of poverty and mental health. I support local businesses, right down to the beer – my fridge is stocked with beer from Salford’s Seven Bro7hers Brewery. Plus, I don’t have Sellotape in my studio; I use biodegradable tape instead. It’s a whole lifestyle.

I’m also passionate about educating the general public – and opticians to some degree – about eyewear. Many opticians don’t know the difference between plastic and acetates, between different types of acetates, or about the value benefits to the patient of using different frame materials. The frame material actually has a dramatic impact on the consistency of the fitting for the patient when paired with different lens prescriptions and materials.

We see all these TV adverts based around price – free eye tests here, 2-for-1 glasses there. But are any of them actually communicating the value to the customer? If you don’t know why one pair of glasses is more expensive than another, you’re just going to choose the cheaper one. But if I can show people what to look for in a pair of glasses – the material, the joints, how they’re made, their durability, how sustainable they are, what leads to improved comfort – they can better judge value for money and are more likely to invest in higher quality eyewear. Not only will that stop people buying cheap plastic glasses that are terrible for the earth and will break in no time, but they will be happier, wearing glasses that are more comfortable and long-lasting, that are better quality and are more sustainable. I think there’s a big educational opportunity here – not just for the general public, but within the optical industry itself.

And where does music fit within your ambitions?

Funny you should mention that. The producer I worked with on my first album is moving back to the UK after living in Chile. So, we might end up recording some more tracks together soon. But I try and link myself to music wherever I can. I host The Eyewear Stylist podcast, for example, and the second guest I had on that was a Manchester-based rap artist called Dubzy. I also carry vinylized eyewear – glasses made out of repurposed vinyl records. Anything that can link me back to music is awesome!