STEPPER EYEWEAR
STEPPER EYEWEAR is an eyewear company established in Germany in 1970 by German master optician and eyewear designer Hans Stepper. The company specialises in ophthalmic spectacle frames and has become associated with injection-moulded frame construction and a design approach centred on the relationship between a spectacle frame and the wearer's facial anatomy.[1] STEPPER developed from its German origins into an internationally distributed eyewear business. In 2024, Hans Stepper received the SILMO/International Opticians Association Special Recognition Award for his career and contribution to spectacle-frame design.[2]
History
Hans Stepper was born in Germany in December 1935 and grew up in Stuttgart, where his father operated an optical practice. He trained as an optician before qualifying as a master optician and later developed a career in eyewear design.[3] Stepper became interested in producing plastic spectacle frames using moulding techniques rather than the conventional method of cutting frames from sheets of acetate. In 1970, he established the eyewear business in Germany in collaboration with a specialist in plastics technology.[1] Early products were associated with the Stepper & Ide name and subsequently with Stepper International Eyewear Design West Germany. The British Optical Association Museum, part of the College of Optometrists, holds historic SI spectacle frames attributed to Stepper & Ide, Stepper International Eyewear Design West Germany and Hans Stepper (UK) Limited.[4] The museum also catalogues a 1990 item produced by Stepper International Eyewear Design West Germany under the title Si Hans Stepper – Eyewear consulting that fits.[5] A British company that subsequently operated as Hans Stepper (UK) Limited was incorporated in 1990. By the end of 1996, its audited accounts identified Hans Stepper International Limited as the owner of all of its issued share capital and Rayner and Keeler Limited as the ultimate parent company.[6] During the later 1990s and 2000s, the company's manufacturing and international operations developed further outside Germany. STEPPER subsequently developed a manufacturing relationship with Hong Kong-based Arts Optical, while Hans Stepper continued to be involved in frame design and product development.
Design and technology
Hans’s approach to frame design developed from his optical education and experience to improve the relationship between the spectacle frame and facial anatomy – particularly the bridge design where his fit philosophy centres around. His early work used injection moulding to create three-dimensional frame parts, particularly around the bridge and nasal fitting area. A reputation for good fit came with independent optical-industry media identifying fit as a defining element of STEPPER’s design and manufacturing approach.[7][1][8]
This has been expanded to include global facial-measurement (World Fit) fitting profiles with key differentiating characteristics of global facial anatomy.[9]
Asian Fit styles are designed with a flatter base curve, a smaller pantoscopic angle, and specialised metal nose-pad guard arms.[10]
Paediatric frames (STEPPER Start) are based on the research of Dr Alicia Thompson and her work on children’s facial anatomy using 3D facial measurements.[11][12]
International development
STEPPER expanded its use of materials beyond their moulded plastic (TX5) to include titanium.[9][1] The designation SI has been used in STEPPER frame-model nomenclature, with historic examples held by the College of Optometrists which include SI-numbered models dating from before 1990 and into the 1990s.[4]
STEPPER has expanded internationally from its German origins, developing distribution across Europe and subsequently in markets including Australia, the United States, and Asia. Optical-industry coverage has documented STEPPER’s international development, the continuing involvement of Hans Stepper and later his daughter Saskia Stepper.[3] In 2005, Vision Monday reported that Walman Optical was introducing the STEPPER collection to the United States.[13] By 2024, STEPPER was reported as having a presence in more than 60 countries.[2]
Recognition
In September 2024, Hans Stepper received the SILMO/International Opticians Association Special Recognition Award at SILMO Paris. The award recognised his career in optics and contribution to spectacle-frame design.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kell, Melanie (30 January 2017). "Stepper – A Powerful Presence in Professional Eyewear". mivision. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Special award for German master optician". Association of British Dispensing Opticians. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kell, Melanie (29 May 2019). "Stepper Eyewear: All in the Family". mivision. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Historic spectacle frame collection". British Optical Association Museum. College of Optometrists. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ "Si Hans Stepper – Eyewear consulting that fits". British Optical Association Museum. College of Optometrists. 1990. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
- ↑ Hans Stepper (UK) Limited: Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 1996 (Report). Companies House. 1996.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedmivision2020 - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Young, Kimberley (20 October 2025). "Stepper Eyewear highlights heritage in dual-celebration". Optometry Today. Association of Optometrists. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "WestGroupe Introduces Asian Fit Models to the Stepper Collection". Optical Prism. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Alicia Jane (2021). Paediatric Facial Anthropometry Applied to Spectacle Frame Design (PhD thesis). Aston University. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ Shing, Siu-Yin (13 May 2023). "Putting kids in the frame". NZ Optics. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Walman Brings Stepper Eyewear to the US". Vision Monday. 21 February 2005. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
Category:Eyewear brands Category:Eyewear companies Category:Companies established in 1970
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