WHAT WAS GOOD IN THE PAST IS WORTH CONTINUING
Wilhelm Kraft is just 18 years old, when he engineers his first spectacle frames. Herewith he completes his apprenticeship and starts his quest for the perfect frames for every situation. For all his life he will be captured by the passion for lovely details, innovative technology and only the best materials.
Until 1938 he works for the Stuttgart based spectacles company Marwitz and Hauser and is responsible for organizing the metal-frame production of rolled gold. Due to his expertise, they were able to transform the complex and intricate production method into an efficient and quick manufacturing process for metal frames.
At Marwitz and Hauser he meets Elsa Wolf, the woman of his lifetime, with whom he starts the first generation of the Kraft optician family.
Wilhelm Kraft lives through times of change and transition, undergoes restrictions as well as new possibilities. These experiences enable him to think about tradition and craftsmanship in a new and modern way.
ABOUT
In 1947, 20 years after he manufactured his first frame, he passes the master craftsman examination for opticians and produces his masterpiece. A pair of glasses unites all of his expertise with the available material at that time and his new take on the traditional craft.
Our models Mousehole and Dartmoor are new interpretations of his masterpiece glasses. What was good in the past is worth continuing – that’s our tradition.
The Kraft optician family is now in the third generation. Andreas, the grandson, returns to his grandfather’s visons and founds Willems Eyewear in 2011 to preserve this tradition. That’s how he raises old principles to a new level:
“As a manufacturer of high-quality spectacle frames with wit, fun and for every Zeitgeist, we are rooted in the tradition of old craftsmanship but meet it with the courage to use innovative technologies to strike a new path.”