Theo Eyewear
When young Patrick Hoet took over the Hoet Brugge optic business of his mother, he decided to profile the shop as a specialized business. While he was searching for the right assortment, he discovered quite some holes in the eyewear market. He decided to start designing his own range of eyeglasses and to expand the collection in his own shop. An accidental meeting with a colleague optician, Wim Somers, did the rest. He too had plans of setting up his own brand.In 1989, the brand Theo became a fact. The non-conventional and colourful eyewear became increasingly popular among a wider public and the niche brand Theo, an anagram of the name Hoet, grew bigger and better known.
The original collection was expanded over the years with sub-lines, such as Eye-witness, the non-conventional, asymmetric eyewear line. The various sunglasses collections are characterised by elegancy and style.
Theo is always unpredictable and therefore it regularly recruits external ‘non-eyewear’ designers for its new collections. These creative minds receive a carte blanche and they are assisted by Patrick Hoet in order to translate their ideas into a feasible collection that fits in with the entire Theo narrative.
To this day, Theo eyewear is known for its distinctly playful design, colour and materials. It is produced using new and advanced techniques, offering superb comfort due to the perfect balance between sturdiness and flexibility.
The headquarters of Theo is in Antwerp and – under the management of Wim Somers – the family business has developed into a major player in the international optics market.
By now, more than 30 people are employed by Theo, including its own design team that collaborates closely with Patrick Hoet, who is still responsible for a lion’s share of the designs.
Theo is sold in 1400 stores in more than 50 countries.
To this day, Theo eyewear is known for its distinctly playful design, colour and materials. It is produced using new and advanced techniques, offering superb comfort due to the perfect balance between sturdiness and flexibility.
The headquarters of Theo is in Antwerp and – under the management of Wim Somers – the family business has developed into a major player in the international optics market.
By now, more than 30 people are employed by Theo, including its own design team that collaborates closely with Patrick Hoet, who is still responsible for a lion’s share of the designs.
Theo is sold in 1400 stores in more than 50 countries.