Moscot Moments

Harvey Moscot (4th Generation) and Zack Moscot (5th Generation) share how the MOSCOT legacy lives on after over 100 years — watch & read their candid exchange below!     ZM: My father always says, “The first thing you see on one’s face is a pair of glasses”. You don’t see someone’s shoes first, you might not see their pants first, but their glasses really tell a story, it tells who they are, and it tells the story that they want to tell. ZM: The downtown Lower East Side is very much a part of who we are and our whole aesthetic and the culture is really the reason why our brand feels and looks a certain way. Through design and our heritage, we’re always incorporating pieces of our past and that’s largely who we are. We never want to forget where we came from and why we’re here today. HM: We don’t chase trends—just like a good pair of jeans or a white t-shirt. We also provide a service and, I can’t emphasize enough, how important that was to my dad and my grandfather in terms of making the experience when you came to MOSCOT memorable. It was never just purchasing eyeglasses. It was having a special kind of experience and remembering it and knowing our customers. HM: I worked at MOSCOT throughout my entire teenage years for beer money for the weekends. So my desire to help people and interact with the public was established at a young age. And the merger of healthcare and fashion was always so intriguing to me. That this is one field that really intersected both disciplines. ZM: I remember telling my mom I didn’t want to join the family business,  but as I got older I realized my passion for product and I was really intrigued by how different designs could change the way one feels and that emotional connection, not only to our history, but also how a MOSCOT frame could really transcend different cultures and what that frame meant. It was more than a pair of glasses; it was really a piece of downtown New York and a piece of our history and that was something that I connected with emotionally as well. HM: When we moved across the street after 78 years on the other side of Delancey Street, in order to get to our Shop you had to walk up this kind of iconic staircase. So we decided to take it and recapture it here in the new space. They don’t make signs like this anymore. HM: These are our original trays that we’ve displayed our frames in for the past 70 years. HM: We call these the thrones of MOSCOT. These were probably purchased in the ‘40s but they’ve just also withstood the test of time. ZM: I use this portrait just as a reminder of how we started. You know where we came from, always to remember that we started as immigrants over a hundred years ago and here we are today five generations later. HM: My great grandfather, Hyman Moscot, who I’m named after, came to this country in 1899 escaping the oppression of Eastern Europe at the time. He came through Ellis Island and all the immigrants set up shop here on the Lower East Side where we were born. He started his business—he was an optician from the old country. All he knew was selling eyeglasses. He did not even speak English at the time. And he sold eyeglasses from a pushcart, which is our logo today. HM: You really don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve come from. Seeing my son everyday is a gift. It’s fun to come to work. We love what we do, the people we meet, the people we work with. The creative passions that we both have is kind of endless. I don’t feel any extinguishing of that fire. ZM: We love telling the story of our brand, of the generations that are MOSCOT.  At some point I can pass the torch to the next generation. HM: Yeah, I’d like to be the first to know about that 6th Generation, by the way. ZM: You got it!   HM: It’s pride and its legacy. Like I said, many generations preceded us, and we just hope that they’re checking us out and feeling good about what we’re doing. Read more about the Moscots here.

Tom Hanks was spotted wearing The GELT Eyeglasses in The New York Times!   Tom Hanks wears The GELT eyeglasses in Crystal. A bigger, bolder companion to MOSCOT’s classic LEMTOSH frame, The GELT is handcrafted using Italian acetate and features diamond rivets, a comfortable key hole nose bridge and a 5-barrel hinge. Tom Hanks is no stranger to MOSCOT’s timeless looks and was also spotted wearing The VILDA. Source

Priyanka Chopra was spotted wearing The MILTZEN SUN Sunglasses in Flesh.  See the Instagram post here. And here!

We’re thrilled to announce the opening of our new standalone flagship shop in Paris! Located on the corner of Rue du Temple in the historic Marais district, we’re bringing downtown NYC to the City of Lights! Located at 26 Rue du Temple, 75004 Paris, France. Our third European mono-branded shop will showcase the full breadth of the MOSCOT eyewear collection with familiar touches that are distinctly MOSCOT, including tchotchkes, vintage furniture and artifacts from the family archives, tin ceilings made in New York that are quintessential to historical Lower East Side architecture, and the overall nostalgic feeling of having stepped into Great Grandma Sylvia Moscot’s living room. We’re especially excited about the location of our newest Shop, as Zack Moscot, 5th Generation Chief Design Officer shares, “Rue du Temple and this area of the Marais was once known for small specialty shops and vendors that sold various essentials and knickknacks, not unlike the historic marketplace of Orchard Street and the Lower East Side, where immigrants such as my Great Great Grandfather, Hyman Moscot, sold wares from their pushcarts.” 4th Generation owner and CEO Harvey Moscot adds, “We’re humbled by the continued support from our fans worldwide, especially in France. This unique corner location allows us to tell our story in a way that never compromises the company’s key pillars of service, quality, and always putting our customer first.” “To shop at MOSCOT is to have a distinctively New York, cultural experience. Here, traditional, old-world charm unites with contemporary tastes, with a dash of Lower East Side personality.” We look forward to bringing 100+ years of eyewear expertise and timeless, classic designs to Paris as we continue to carry on the MOSCOT Legacy.

"...rounded Tuchus, a sophisticated update of classic Moscot MILTZEN."  Check out the full feature here. Shop The TUCHUS here.

Andy Cohen, Emmy Award-winning producer, writer, radio personality, and host for Bravo best known for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, has become a new classic - like his VANTZ in Black. If The LEMTOSH had a smart aleck little brother, his name would be VANTZ. With its subtle curves, small diamond rivets, and playful array of colorways, The VANTZ has the same great DNA as the beloved LEMTOSH, with its own feeling of flare. His other signature look - or persona - is The VELVYL. A moniker for Uncle Hesh's best friend William when they were farshnoshket, VELVYL wore these glasses, and only these glasses, his entire life. Lookin' for a sunglass? Shop The VANTZ SUN and The VELVYL SUN. Craving more MOSCOT? Read on for highlights, celebrity sightings, insider info, & surprise announcements in MOSCOT Moments. MOSCOT is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Andy Cohen or any associated network, agency, or organization.

Check out the full feature here.Read more about Our Story here. 

Mark Ruffalo wears The SECHEL Eyeglasses!   Shop The SECHEL SUN See the full feature here. 

Sergio Castellitto wears The BULVAN SUN Sunglasses in "Ricchi di fantasia." Source MOSCOT is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Sergio Castellitto or any affiliated agency, studio, or organization.

  "MOSCOT's LEMTOSH shades: a rounder, custom tint design that harks back to the proper film star days of yore." See the feature here. The LEMTOSH Black with American Grey Fade Tint

"This iconic style from the New York brand MOSCOT is handcrafted from Italian acetate. It features real rivets, 5-barrel hinges and is available in two sizes and three different colorways." See the feature here.Shop The SECHEL SUN here. 

New York-based womenswear designer Tibi featured MOSCOT frames on their Spring 2019 runway during NYFW. Looks were complimented with The LEMTOSH in vibrant colors and CUSTOM MADE TINT™ lenses.  See the entire collection here.Shop CUSTOM MADE TINTS here.

Mobolaji Dawodu wears The ZOLMAN  Eyeglasses in Flesh!  See the full feature here.

  "MOSCOT offers an enduringly intimate experience based around the quality of the products, an expert understanding of the science of eyewear and a tactile, physical encounter with the brand." Check out the full article here.Learn more about Our Story here. 

"[glasses] that show that optical design is booming." See the feature here. Shop The LEMTOSH-TT SE here. 

Jonathan Heaf rocks The LEMTOSH Eyeglasses with Bel Air Blue Tint at GQ Men Of The Year Awards.  See the full feature here.

Lebron James was spotted wearing The GRUNYA SUN Sunglasses. The GRUNYA SUN is fit for a King. Arguably one of the most stylish men in sports, LeBron James was spotted in a pair of our timeless round-frame sunglasses at Harlem's Fashion Row for the release of his women's basketball sneaker. Handcrafted using Italian acetate, The GRUNYA SUN sunglasses features three dot rivets, a comfortable key hole nose bridge, and signature acetate tips. The GRUNYA SUN is available in five colors and comes in 3 classic colorways for prescription glasses.   See the full feature here.

Can you feel it? MOSCOT launches its new Fall 2018 collection and the streets of downtown New York city are abuzz… The 5 new MOSCOT Original frames are an ode to the city lights that constantly surround us and the warm buzz of the iconic MOSCOT neon signs that glow and flicker among the night streets of the Lower East Side. Taking us back to MOSCOT’s core, with a focus on optics, this season’s newness features all optical frames with the addition of one sunglass and a coordinating clip-on package. This new launch adds to the world renown MOSCOT Originals Collection and includes, The GENUG, The GITTEL, The LIEB CLIP PACKAGE, The ZIS, and The TUCHUS. With this season rounding out MOSCOT’s 103+ years of eyewear expertise, Zack Moscot, 5th Generation and Chief Design Officer, took inspiration from his favorite family archives of the past, adding intellectual flare and a bit of nostalgia with perfectly rounded frames and unique features such as detailed metal filigree and bone-colored nose pads.   Feel the buzz with the new Fall ‘18 collection available now! Let us know how you glow by sharing your pictures with #MOSCOT!  

Chris Hemsworth wears The LEMTOSH Eyeglasses. Shop now. Chris Hemsworth wears The LEMTOSH in GQ. Handcrafted using Italian acetate, The LEMTOSH eyeglasses features diamond rivets, signature acetate tips, and MOSCOT temple engravings in 18 classic and captivating colors. Also available in sunglasses and CUSTOM MADE TINTS™. Check out the full feature here. Shop The LEMTOSH here.

"...clear frames still look as fresh and revelatory as ever."  See the feature here. Shop The LEMTOSH-TT SE SUN here. 

France's "First Lady," Brigitte Macron, was spotted wearing The RANDALL SUN Sunglasses.   See the full feature here. Shop more sun here.