All Fun and Frames
Behind-the-scenes of Banton Frameworks' Summer Photoshoot in Florence.
As a ‘90s kid, wearing glasses was never cool. Like, that’s all there was to say about it. One of pairs I recall the most fondly (and unfortunately) was a gold oval frame with Bugs Bunny casually relaxing atop the hinge/arms. The fact that I thought it was pretty sweet at the time just emphasised how un-cool it really was. Ironically, the thick-framed glasses I was given by Specsavers in the interim whilst my prescription was being prepared would’ve been considered pretty sick by today’s standards, but attempting to put those on me back then was like trying to thread a needle whilst simultaneously riding a unicycle, blindfolded, on a tightrope suspended over a pit of alligators, and everything was on fire.
As with most things in life, appreciation only comes as we grow older. Coffee, wine, art, and in this case, glasses. Today, they form a big part of my ‘brand identity’ as you’ll rarely see me without them. Not for the fact that I wouldn’t be able to, y’know, see, but I’ve never really enjoyed wearing contact lenses. (LASIK has never even attempted to be humoured even though I have many friends that have praised its life-changing affects). Ultimately, the idea of me not wearing glasses just felt strange. It’s a big part of who I am—especially since working in menswear—as I have a certain appreciation towards beautifully-designed accessories that actually serve genuine purpose.
Which brings me rather deliciously to Banton Frameworks. A university-project-turned-full-blown-business, founders Lucy and Jamie grew this brand out of a sheer willingness to produce incredibly well-made specs with emphasis on design, comfort, durability and timelessness. Not numbers. The glasses are released, slowly, in drops, and once they’re gone… they’re gone. That sort of ‘exclusivity with a community charm’—made better by the fact they’re Scottish—has made them an absolute dream to work with.
I first started shooting with them a couple years ago now, with the intention of helping build their website and, importantly, showcasing how the frames would sit on faces. It’s always nice to see something in context rather than as an e-comm image. Fast forward to Summer 2025, and it was time to take the frames to a slightly sunnier environment (because, Scotland). The great thing about building a good rapport with a client is that they begin to trust you to run with it. Where in the past we’ve shot several frames on one or two models (namely Austin and Manish, because obviously it was going to be Austin and Manish — see below), the aim of this one was to grab as many cool, creative and interesting looking guys as possible, to show people just how versatile these frames are. It was a bit of a no-brainer that the best place to execute this, therefore, would be in Florence during Pitti Uomo.
Instead of finding people across the course of the week to quickly ping a frame on, I wanted to do something with a little bit more meaning. I mentioned how I loved the community-feel the brand has, and considering Pitti is a gathering of like-minded individuals, the idea of emulating that by shooting everyone together was a fairly easy one to conjure. The issue, though, is that everyone’s schedules are a little all over the place with the exception of one thing - food. We gotta eat. By bringing everyone together for an al fresco lunch at one of our favourite pizzerias, it just felt like it was meant to be. But you know what wasn’t? The weather.
Trust the one day I wanted to shoot a super summery-looking lunch, in which I managed to someone organise everyone together at the same time, the Heaven’s decided to open. In Florence. In 30 degree heat. The whole ‘raining on my parade’ was really playing into the stereotype. At least try to be original for once, nature. I knew re-scheduling everyone was simply not going to be an option, so we had to adapt and make it work. Fortunately, as the gang were all in and around the content game, they got it and we made something pretty special. The hours spent in post-production removing drops of rain from clothes and glasses was honestly worth it considering how good a time was had.
Have a look for yourself…
Models are Luke Alland, Anton Welcome, Galih Richardson, Steve Calder, Dirk Fourie, Manish Puri and Mike Hughes, photographed at Ginori Pizzeria, Florence, for Banton Frameworks.