What is MAX PITTION? | Founder, History, Comeback Story, and POLITICIAN Thoroughly Explained

Main article image: MAX PITTION, connecting French design to the modern day through Japanese eyewear craftsmanship (from MAX PITTION Official "Our Story")

MAX PITTION glasses are thick.

However, it is not merely about thickness. The top edge rises like an eyebrow, the lower corners of the rims are sharply cut away, and the bridge features a wide "space." Seen from the front, they are powerful; from an angle, the polished surfaces reflect light; and from the side, the brass hardware and chunky temples come into view.

This unique aesthetic is not a "French vintage-style" design created in recent years. Its origins trace back to Oyonnax, France, in the 1940s. Founder Max Pittion grew his family's comb factory into an eyewear manufacturer, produced frames for Lanvin and Azzaro, and was also involved in founding the international eyewear trade fair that would eventually become today's SILMO.

After the brand went dormant, it was revived in 2013 due to the passion of John Mayer. Although production later ceased again, in 2023, Tommy O'Gara—who was involved in the first revival—and the founder's son, Bernard Pittion, began moving the brand forward once more under its current structure.

In this article, we will thoroughly unravel the charm of MAX PITTION, from clarifying the often-cited "founded in 1921" date, to explaining why the founder was a giant in the eyewear industry, what the two revivals signify, and down to the form and details of the signature POLITICIAN model.

◎ What is MAX PITTION? | Wearing "primary sources" of post-war French eyewear

MAX PITTION is an eyewear brand born in Oyonnax, in eastern France. Current frames are produced in small quantities in Japan, and the brand itself describes its origins as "Born in France and refined in Japan."

What is important in understanding this brand is that MAX PITTION is not merely a reproduction brand. It reconstructs its frames using current materials and Japanese manufacturing techniques, while basing them on the founding family's archives, original drawings, production records, and vintage frame specimens.

In other words, MAX PITTION is not a brand that "newly makes old-looking shapes," but rather a brand that returns shapes directly connected to post-war French eyewear culture to a wearable state.

◎ Clarifying the founding year | 1921 is not the "brand's establishment year"

Articles introducing MAX PITTION often cite "founded in 1921." However, when comparing historical data, it is reasonable to consider 1921 as the year of birth of the founder, Max Pittion.

The official brand history does not fix the founding to a single year; it explains that after World War II, Max transformed his father's comb factory into the world-class eyewear manufacturer "Pittion Lunetterie." His father, Emile, began producing combs in the 1920s and small-batch celluloid eyewear in the 1940s. Max returned to the family business in 1945 after the war and later inherited and expanded the factory.

Therefore, to express the brand's starting point in a phrase: "founded in the 1940s." To be more precise: "with the 1920s comb factory as its prehistory, eyewear production began in the 1940s, and Max Pittion established the business from 1945 onwards."

Max Pittion in his youth, preserved in the official archives (from MAX PITTION Official "Our Story")

◎ Founder Max Pittion | A designer and a heavyweight who moved the industry

Oyonnax — From a town of combs to a town of plastic eyewear

Oyonnax, where Max grew up, is a town in eastern France near the Jura Mountains. Until the early 20th century, it was known for combs carved from wood and cow horn; later, as celluloid spread as a new material, skills in cutting, stamping, and polishing were accumulated.

At first glance, combs and glasses are different products, but they are similar in how they are cut from sheet material, polished to be smooth against the skin, and finished to bring out color and luster. The Pittion family's move from combs to eyewear was not a transition to a completely different industry, but rather an application of the material processing techniques held by the town and the factory to tools worn on the face.

A factory of over 200 employees and Paris fashion houses

Pittion Lunetterie, which Max inherited, expanded its exports after the 1950s and is said to have grown to a scale employing over 200 people during its peak in the 1960s and 70s. They produced eyewear not only under their own brand but also for Parisian fashion houses such as Lanvin and Azzaro.

This is the background behind the refinement of the color and form of MAX PITTION. It possessed the capacity to produce quantity as an industrial product, combined with the allure sought by Parisian fashion culture. Because it was a factory that understood both, it gave birth to frames that were substantial yet not clunky, and elegant even in strong colors.

1967 | One of the founders of SILMO

Max's influence went beyond the success of his own brand. He served as president of the French Eyewear Manufacturers Association and was involved in the founding of the international eyewear trade fair that began in Oyonnax in 1967. This is the origin of what is now SILMO, held in Paris.

The SILMO venue where the "pittion lunetterie" sign is visible in the upper left. Local manufacturers launched the international trade fair that continues to this day (from MAX PITTION official archives)

SILMO is not just a place to announce new collections; it is a platform where manufacturers, designers, opticians, lens companies, and media meet across borders. Having created this stage—which even in 2026 remains a focus of the global eyewear industry—with local peers over half a century ago, Max Pittion is called a "heavyweight of the eyewear industry" for reasons far greater than just the excellent frames he left behind.

He built a structure that opened the local industry to the outside world while growing his own company. He was a person with multiple faces: designer, factory manager, leader of industry organizations, and co-founder of an international trade fair.

◎ From golden age to hiatus | Competition with Japan, consolidation, and retirement in 1981

In the 1960s and 70s, thick and sophisticated frames like the POLITICIAN and POLARIS were supported by artists, actors, and style-makers. The brand officially identifies these two as their representative works.

However, in the 1970s, the structure of global eyewear manufacturing changed. The Japanese eyewear industry, having increased its quality and production capacity, gained presence, and French production regions—including Oyonnax—faced a difficult situation in terms of both price and production. Pittion Lunetterie continued production until around 1977 following consolidation with other factories, but Max retired from the industry in 1981. The brand then entered a long slumber.

Ironically, the value of the frames did not decrease after they vanished. Originals continued to be sought in the vintage market, and their thick fronts and unique colors became a benchmark for thinking about later "French vintage."

◎ The 2013 revival | John Mayer fell in love with the POLITICIAN

The first revival was set in motion by musician John Mayer.

In a 2014 interview, Mayer spoke of how he discovered a vintage POLITICIAN while looking at old designs on the internet. Although he desperately wanted it, the piece he found was too small for him to wear. Even so, unable to give up, and learning that the brand no longer existed, he acquired the rights himself to set the revival in motion.

This sequence of events is the reverse of typical "celebrity collaborations." It did not start with a marketing plan, but rather from one eyewear enthusiast trying to bring back a pair he wanted to wear into the modern world.

The partner Mayer chose was Tommy O'Gara, who had been involved in eyewear design and manufacturing in Japan for many years. The two built a relationship with the founding family, referencing old photos, logos, tags, and physical archives. They maintained the original vibe while updating it to modern materials and sizes.

The collection that began in 2013 garnered high attention, but production ended after about five years. The brand returned to a state of hiatus. The revival was not completed in one go, leaving it waiting for the next stage.

◎ 2023, once more | The current structure with Tommy O'Gara and Bernard Pittion

The person who got MAX PITTION moving again was Tommy O'Gara. However, he is not a new designer who suddenly appeared in 2023. He is someone who knows the brand from the very beginning of the revival story, having been responsible for design and manufacturing during the John Mayer period as well.

O'Gara has been active in Japan since the 1980s, serving as creative director for Dita Eyewear and others before establishing The LIGHT Co., Ltd. He has been involved in the manufacturing of numerous brands and projects, including NATIVE SONS and JULIUS TART OPTICAL.

In the 2023 restart, he collaborates with the founder's son, Bernard Pittion. He visited the old factory remaining in Oyonnax, studied the machines of the time, and accessed original drawings and data. With that foundation, he produces in small quantities in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, using plant-based cellulose acetate and brass hardware.

What is important is not to turn French shapes into Japanese style, nor to replicate old glasses exactly without a single deviation. It is to land on modern processing precision and comfort while upholding the original lines, thickness, color, and approach to hardware. That is the MAX PITTION of today.

◎ Positioning in the eyewear industry | More than just a "symbol of French vintage"

Where does MAX PITTION stand in the modern eyewear industry? Its uniqueness becomes clear when viewed across four axes.

Different from both licensed eyewear from major fashion houses and replicas recreating anonymous vintage pieces, MAX PITTION is archive-led luxury eyewear with the history of the eyewear industry itself as its background.

Therefore, the brand's charm is not decided solely by a preference for "thick glasses." Why this thickness, why leave these edges, why brass? The value lies in the fact that the reasons are connected in a single line from the 1940s to the present.

◎ 6 Design codes common to MAX PITTION

1 | Showing thickness not as weight, but as sculpture

The major current acetate models are carved out of thick, 7-8mm sheets. Rather than leaving them flat, the top is rounded, the sides are dropped, and edges are left depending on the area. It is precisely because of the thickness that surfaces receiving light and surfaces becoming shadow are born.

2 | Not appearing as a perfectly symmetrical figure

While possessing basic shapes that can be called Boston, Wellington, or Crown Panto, they elevate the top edges, cut off the outer edges, or widen the bridge. They are classifiable, yet possess a "twist" that prevents them from just being déjà vu.

3 | Showing color not on the surface, but deep within the material

Piano Black, Ruby Rouge, Cinnamon, Blonde Tort, Dark Tort, French Beer Dark, Vintage Lavender. In colors other than black, shades are born within the thick acetate, changing where light passes through and where it sinks. It reinterprets the rich colors that early celluloid frames possessed with current materials.

4 | Not hiding the rivets

The three-point front rivets and two-point temple rivets are not only structural but act as accents that define the look. Not placing large logos, the arrangement of the hardware itself serves as the sign.

5 | Using brass hardware that includes aging

Current major models employ brass pins and robust five-barrel hinges. Brass changes its tone over time, showing a different evolution than polished acetate. It is a choice of material that leaves the time spent, rather than just the uniformity of when it was new.

6 | Creating the contour to the very end of the temples

The "Massue" (club) shaped temples extend straight back, bend significantly before the ears, and are finished with large, rounded tips. While receiving the volume of the front, the roundness at the tip softens the appearance. In transparent-type materials, the patterned wire core running straight through the center is also a highlight.

◎ Representative work: POLITICIAN | 1940s design that moved two revivals

POLITICIAN 42□28 col.Piano Black. Despite being thick, the rhythm of the top and bottom edges is light (from DOWNTOWN product page)

The POLITICIAN is the most important model when talking about MAX PITTION. An early archive piece thought to be from 1948 remains, and the brand officially places it as an icon alongside the POLARIS. And decades later, it was this shape that triggered John Mayer's decision to revive the brand.

The background of the name lies in the atmosphere of the post-WWII era, when politicians sought glasses that conveyed intelligence, thoughtfulness, and progressiveness. However, the POLITICIAN is not just a stiff "teacher-style" square. It combines the thickness that creates authority with curves that attract people.

The star of the shape is not "thickness," but the change in thickness

Rounding on the top, ridgelines towards the outside, cut-off lower corners. Contours are created by switching planes, not by flatness (Photographed by DOWNTOWN)

In official specifications, the POLITICIAN is carved from 8mm-thick cotton-based acetate. If you look only at the 8mm figure, it is an "extra-thick frame," but in the physical object, the appearance of the thickness varies by area.

It retains mass in the upper part near the eyebrows, while the lower part of the lens is carved from inside and outside to let in light. The outside connects to a diagonal plane, and it cuts off suddenly at the lower corner. Because the volume is not placed uniformly, it does not look rigid, even though the front is powerful.

Three-point and two-point rivets | Structure becomes the face

Left: Front three-point rivets. Right: Temple two-point rivets. Not a logo, but the arrangement of hardware creates the brand's expression (Photographed by DOWNTOWN)

There are three brass rivets drawing a triangle on the front, and two horizontal rivets on the temples. Small golden dots loosen the tension of the black fabric, guiding the viewer's gaze outward.

Inside, it houses robust brass five-barrel hinges. In the current products we handle, a method is used where, after the hinges are incorporated, the acetate and brass, which have different hardnesses, are integrally cut diagonally. That the mating edges connect as a single plane when closed is a precision that cannot be obtained simply by using expensive hardware.

Five-barrel hinges and the 42/28 engraving on the inside of the front. The size and structure are more clearly readable the less they are seen from the outside (Photographed by DOWNTOWN)

Massue-style temples | Supporting the profile and comfort

The temples are the Massue (club) type, extending almost straight from the endpieces, changing angle before the ears, and finishing with a large, rounded tip. While connecting visual weight that won't lose to the thick front to the sides, the surfaces that touch the ears are rounded.

In frames that are thick only in the front and suddenly thin at the sides, the weight appears concentrated in the center of the face. By maintaining thickness through to the temples, the POLITICIAN establishes the entire pair of glasses as a single silhouette.

MAX PITTION colors: Not understood by black alone

POLITICIAN 44□25 col.Ruby Rouge. Deep red in thick areas, transparent to light where thinly carved (from DOWNTOWN product page)

Piano Black shows surfaces and lines most clearly. On the other hand, in Ruby Rouge or Cinnamon, the depth of the carving becomes the depth of the color itself. Thick parts sink into darkness, while the inside of the rims and diagonally dropped surfaces are transparent.

MAX PITTION colors are not painted onto the surface. Where and how many millimeters are carved is visible as color. Form and color are not separate; they are born simultaneously from the same processing.

◎ How to choose the POLITICIAN size? | 42/44/46 and 25/28 bridges

The current POLITICIAN has variations with lens widths around 42, 44, and 46mm, and bridges of 25mm or 28mm. Actual combinations and inventory vary by color, but when choosing, it is easier to think about the "density" of the entire front rather than looking at the numbers individually.

Thick frames can make a big difference even with a 1–2mm difference. Also, even with the same overall width, a wider bridge causes the lenses to move outward, creating space in the center of the face. We recommend checking from the front, diagonally, and from the side rather than deciding based on the size chart alone.

◎ 5 points to check in-store

1. Look at the top edge against your eyebrows. Check whether the cat-eye upsweep of the POLITICIAN makes your expression stronger or naturally tightens it.
2. Look at the 22-degree cut at the bottom corner. Looking not only from the front but also diagonally will show you where the thickness disappears and where it remains.
3. Look at the space at the bridge. With 25mm and 28mm, not only the fit on the nose changes, but also the relationship with the position of your eyes.
4. Open and close the hinges. The rigidity of the five-piece hinges, how the joints align, and the movement of the temples reveal the manufacturing precision.
5. Hold the color up to the light. The depth of Ruby Rouge and Cinnamon created by the thickness and beveling is best seen in natural light.

MAX PITTION is a brand that can easily be dismissed as just "thick" and "unique" after seeing a single product photo. However, when you move the actual product, the transitions of the surfaces, the brass dots, the way the color transmits, and the lines of the temples leading to the ears appear one after another. Please see for yourself how delicacy exists within that strength.

◎ Summary | MAX PITTION is a brand that lets you wear eyewear history in the present tense

The history of MAX PITTION has not been a straight line.

Born in Oyon in 1921, Max Pittion developed his family's comb factory into an eyewear manufacturer after the war. In the 1960s and 70s, the company grew to over 200 employees, exported worldwide, made frames for fashion houses in Paris, led the eyewear manufacturing association, and was involved in the founding of SILMO. After retiring in 1981, the brand went dormant.

In 2013, John Mayer, who was fascinated by vintage POLITICIAN glasses, revived the brand together with Tommy O'Gara. That production also stopped after about 5 years, but in 2023, O'Gara and the founder's son Bernard Pittion reconnected French archives with Japanese manufacturing.

The representative work POLITICIAN condenses its entire history. A shape born in the 1940s. The presence that moved Mayer. 8mm acetate polished by O'Gara's Sabae technology, the 22-degree bottom cut, brass rivets, and five-piece hinges.

The appeal of MAX PITTION is not because it is old or because it is thick.It lies in the fact that the aesthetic sense of the person who moved the eyewear industry has survived past dormancy and revival, remaining today with a precision that can actually be worn.

For those who want to know the form of French vintage, and for those who want to savor the details of Sabae craftsmanship, there are not many brands that deeply connect both. First, pick up the POLITICIAN and look not only at the front contour, but also at the diagonally running surfaces and the brass on the inside. In a single pair, you can see 1940s France and modern Japan at the same time.