MARCUS MARIENFELD AG

THE ESSENCE OF

SWITZERLAND, RIGHT

BEFORE YOUR VERY

EYES

For some 30 years, goldsmith and jeweler Marcus

Marienfeld has been manufacturing innovative

eyewear in his workshop in Ried-Brig. In 1992, he

and his wife wife Caroline founded the company,

which now has seven employees, including goldsmiths,

watchmakers, and surface finishers.

Under the direction of Marcus Marienfeld, the

team creates small works of art – which can also

be tailored to the client’s anatomy on request. After

all, those who wear glasses should be as comfortable

as possible. As a visit to the workshop demonstrates,

they leave nothing to chance. The staff

works with extreme concentration as they mill, laser,

and polish the products at their workstations.

Everything revolves around precision; every detail

has to be right. And it all starts with the right material.

Titanium, Indian water buffalo horn, magnesium,

fiberglass, carbon fiber, and gold are the raw

materials used for premium eyeglass frames.

It’s not easy to work with materials like these. The

eyewear industry spent a long time trying to figure

out how to properly make use of titanium in

particular. While titanium is as light as aluminum,

as tough as steel, and absolutely hypoallergenic, it

is extremely difficult to shape, mill, and join this

material. This is all the more the case if you want

to avoid using solder materials that contain nickel.

Marienfeld thus relies on laser technology, as he

demonstrates in his workshop. The company uses a

process that consists of pure welding and that does

not require the addition of any toxic foreign materials.

The laser beam can be adjusted with such

precision that it can even be used to polish the weld

seam. However, work like this requires a lot of experience

and skillful hands – and a good eye, of

course.

Marienfeld always keeps an eye on the entire

production chain, which sets him apart from the

bulk of eyewear manufacturers. In the eyewear

industry, goldsmiths, model builders, and designers

usually work separately in different facilities.

“This inevitably leads to compromises, such as if

you have an unconventional design idea but find

that production is unable to implement it,” says

Marienfeld, speaking from experience. What sets

the brand apart is the self-sufficiency with which

Marcus Marienfeld AG exhibits its unique luxury eyewear

in a small storefront at the foot of the Matterhorn. Each

model is 100% handmade in Valais.

the company works. “I don’t want us to get into a position

where I am dependent on anyone. This industry made the

mistake of outsourcing virtually all manufacturing to China

– because it was initially thought that this would enable

cheaper production. As a result, 80 percent of all eyeglasses

worldwide are now made by just five companies in China.

But in the foreseeable future, they will be just as expensive

as we are,” Marienfeld says.

To counteract this trend, Marienfeld would also have to become

much larger – but he would never dream of it. He’s a

“maker” with heart and soul and will always remain true to

his passion for creating unique eyewear. His wife occasionally

had to put on the brakes, as he himself admits: “I remember

well when I first started developing the raw plates for our

carbon-fiber eyewear. There was suddenly a stack of invoices

exceeding 50,000 francs on the table without us having sold

a single item. But even then I was fully convinced that we

would be able to stand out from the rest of the world with

ultra-light and perpiration-resistant carbon-fiber eyewear.

Our synergies have always been the important thing: My

wife, who always had our finances under control, and me,

the aesthete and free thinker who had to be brought back

down to earth before every trade show. That was a task that

was truly unpleasant, one for which I thank Caroline from

the bottom of my heart.”

It’s clear that eyewear from Marienfeld is not cheap. But

buyers know that it is superior to everything else in terms of

quality. “Every specimen leaving our workshop has passed

through my hands. When you buy from us, you are buying

glasses for life – including a lifelong service guarantee. It’s

a promise that only we can make, of course, because practically

nothing ever needs to be repaired,” Marienfeld says.

Eyewear that you wear for a lifetime needs a timeless design,

of course, one that is a healthy distance from any quickly

fading fads and trends. Fast fashion is something you

won’t find at Marienfeld. He himself speaks of classics with

a difference: “simply a product that never gets old.” When

it comes to the choice of materials, however, Marienfeld is

always happy to seek out new sources of inspiration. That’s

where the “maker” in him comes shining through again. His

latest bold stroke: an eyeglass frame constructed from old

oak barriques. The wine whose barriques provide the frame

material is included with the purchase of the eyewear.