Best sunglasses 2026: 18 designer frames chosen by OCCHIO!
Eighteen pairs of sunglasses by independent designers, chosen for shape, lens and construction from almost two hundred in our boutique. Aviator, round, square, oversize, sculptural, lightweight. From €160 to €1,526, shipped worldwide from Italy.
Eighteen pairs of sunglasses. None of them sold by the big chains.
This is not the ranking of the brands you see everywhere. These are the eighteen frames that, out of almost two hundred sunglasses in our boutique, we chose for 2026: for shape, for lens, for construction. All by independent designers, all available now, almost all in a single piece. Prices from €160 to €1,526, shipped worldwide from Italy.
frames chosen from almost 200 sunglasses in the boutique
the price range: every section has a frame under €500
all lenses; filter category listed on each product page
How we chose
Three criteria, in order. Construction: hand-finished acetate, Japanese titanium, hinges and finishes that last. The lens: every frame has a lens that adds something, a colour, a gradient, contrast, not just a grey filter. The shape: the frame has to be recognisable from three metres away. We did not look at the name on the front: the brands on this page do not advertise, they make glasses.
Before you choose
Two things matter more than the model. The lens category: 3 for full sun and the sea, 2 for the city, 1 for light coloured lenses. And your face shape: a high bridge and a soft shape suit more faces than a sharp geometry. Every frame on this page can be fitted with prescription sun lenses; write to us with your prescription.
Aviator: the classic, done properly
The double bridge is the shape that lends itself best to reinterpretation: in titanium, in gold, as a shield. Three ways to do it.
Balmain Captaine Black Gold
The double-bridge aviator with a grey gradient lens: titanium construction from Japan, design by Olivier Rousteing. The most wearable of the three.
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AHLEM × Campbell Addy 19
22-karat gold plating and a brown gradient lens: the collaboration between AHLEM and photographer Campbell Addy, in a few numbered pieces.
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T HENRI Scud Anomoly
The gold titanium shield inspired by the Maserati Tipo 61, with a yellow gradient lens. Once the 199 pieces are gone, the colour is not reissued.
See the productRound: from panto to full circle
Round frames suit more faces than people think, especially with a high bridge and a coloured lens.
Sauvage Mikado Deep Brown Blue
Tommy O'Gara's round frame in tortoise acetate with a blue lens: the combination that makes a classic look new.
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Eyevan 7285 347e
High bridge, low-set temples, solid blue lens: the 347 is the most recognisable round frame by Eyevan 7285. Every component is designed from scratch.
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Julius Tart Optical AR Demi Amber / Wine
James Dean's Arnel with a wine-pink lens: the 1948 shape reproduced in Japanese acetate, size 46.
See the productSquare and rectangular
The easiest shape to wear every day. Three schools here: Italian geometry, Swedish minimalism, French archive.
VAVA BL0026 Black
Black acetate and aluminium, sharp geometry: the VAVA sunglass for people who want one line and nothing else.
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CHIMI 04 Green
Chimi's rectangular frame in olive green with a tone-on-tone lens: the best design-to-price ratio in this selection.
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Lesca Lunetier Klar col.5
From the Lesca archives of the 1970s: rectangular, thick, green lens. A sunglass that does not ask for permission.
See the productWomen's oversize
Large, but with a thickness and a lens that keep them wearable. None of the three weighs more than an ordinary frame.
Balmain B-Bold Brown Gold
Balmain's oversize square in tortoise with a brown lens: runway proportions, wearable.
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Lesca Lunetier Ogre XL
Lesca's best-selling sunglass: dark tortoise, green lens, a large but soft shape. The lowest price on this list.
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Lesca Lunetier Deca Limited Edition Havana
Light tortoise and a pink lens: the most photographed sunglass in the boutique, in one hundred numbered pieces per colour.
See the productSculptural: the sunglass as an object
For people who buy sunglasses the way they buy a piece of design. Kuboraum and T HENRI are the two brands that do it best.
Kuboraum P31 TO
Kuboraum's best-selling sun Maske: tortoise, thick, with a lens that follows the front. An object before a filter.
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Kuboraum F5 The Cage
The F5 in its The Cage version: the most sculptural Maske on this page, made to be looked at before it is worn.
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T HENRI Mulliner L Shadow II
Black titanium and acetate, inspired by Bentley Mulliner: the T HENRI you recognise from a distance. 199 pieces per colour.
See the productLight, discreet, coloured
Three routes for anyone who does not want the frame to weigh: no rim, transparent acetate, full but thin colour.
Eyevan Orbit P
The rimless sunglass: titanium bridge and temples, exposed lens. Among the lightest we have ever had in the boutique.
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AKONI Eclipse Crystal Dark Grey
Transparent grey, almost black until you hold it against the light, with titanium temples: the most discreet frame on the list.
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Paloceras Pebble SX Laguna Purple
Two layers of acetate, purple inside and clear outside: the Pebble is the coloured sunglass that does not look like a toy.
See the productWhat you will not find here
Ray-Ban, Prada, Gucci, Oakley: we do not carry them, by choice. Anyone looking for them finds them everywhere; people who come to OCCHIO! are looking for the other thing. To find your way around the brands on this page, read the niche eyewear brands; for coloured lenses, the collections by green, blue, orange, red and yellow lens.
What are the best sunglasses of 2026?
It depends on what you want: for a classic done properly, a titanium aviator like the Balmain Captaine; for a design object, a Kuboraum Maske like the P31; for the best value, the Lesca Ogre XL at €195 or the Chimi 04 at €160. This page has eighteen frames in six categories, all by independent designers.
How much do good designer sunglasses cost?
Handmade acetate sunglasses start at around €160–200 (Chimi, Lesca); Japanese titanium sits between €400 and €900; T HENRI numbered series and Kuboraum special editions go above €1,000. Below €100 it is hard to find hand-finished acetate and quality lenses.
Which lens category should I choose?
Category 3 for full sun, sea and mountains (8–18% light transmission); category 2 for the city and mid-seasons; category 1 for light coloured lenses, which are about contrast rather than darkness. Category 4 is not approved for driving.
Can I get prescription lenses in these frames?
Yes, in all of them. Sun lenses are made to your prescription, single vision or progressive, in the same colour or a different one. Write to us with your prescription and the model and we will quote time and price.
Do you ship internationally?
Yes, worldwide from Italy. Free shipping in the EU over €150 and to the United States over €200. Each frame is almost always a single piece: if it shows as available, it is.
Want to see them up close?
All eighteen are in our boutique in Crema, Italy, one piece each. Online we ship worldwide; with your prescription we fit sun lenses.