As one of the UK’s biggest dramas continues its highly-anticipated final season, local Glasgow eyewear company IOLLA are looking back to when they created glasses for Tommy Shelby himself. Played by Cillian Murphy, the protagonist of Peaky Blinders looked to Glasgow for his eyewear inspiration, donning a pair of bespoke IOLLA glasses in 2019’s fifth season.
Whilst Tommy Shelby’s exact glasses are not available to buy, following huge customer demand IOLLA designed a similar, retro style frame, meaning that fans of the show can replicate Tommy’s look for themselves in time for the final season with the classic ‘MacDonald’ frames. The petite, statement making frames bring Peaky Blinders’ vintage style to life. Fans can also visit one of IOLLA’s showrooms to learn about the design process in more detail, and take a closer look at some early prototypes.
Approached in 2018 by Alison McCosh, Costume Designer for Peaky Blinders, IOLLA founder and frame designer Stefan Hunter worked closely with the BBC production; producing various prototypes and attending a pre-filming fitting with Cillian Murphy to ensure the frames were the perfect fit for Tommy Shelby.
Stefan Hunter, Founder of IOLLA said: “The culmination of a huge amount of hard work and collaboration, it’s been a joy to see such an iconic character wear a pair of IOLLA frames. When we were approached in the summer of 2018, we couldn’t have imagined the journey we would go on with the production and it’s really incredible to have our homegrown business be part of Peaky Blinders history. We can’t wait to tune into the new series to see how things will end for the famous Tommy Shelby!”
IOLLA launched in 2015, with their offering of complete prescription glasses and sunglasses for £75.