Eyewear

Alba Optics

Handmade Italian sports sunglasses

ESTABLISHED

2017

FROM

Milan, Italy

Alba is Italian for dawn, and Alba Optics began with a search for an old mold: a sunglasses frame designed and made in Italy in the 1980s, which founders Piergiorgio and Luca brought back to life with new technology. That frame became the Delta, and every Alba since has been made by hand in Italy too.

The lenses are Alba’s own, called VZUM: light, tough polycarbonate with full UV protection and a coating that shrugs off scratches, smudges and water. On the Delta, Mantra and Jumbo the lens is interchangeable.

Alba’s photochromic F-Lens darkens and clears with the light, from a category 1 tint to a category 3, which suits a ride that starts before sunrise and ends in full sun.

The Alba Optics Range

Alba designs, develops and makes its sunglasses in Italy, in a factory north of Milan. The founders say the aim isn’t to finish first but to get wherever you want to go, in any conditions, and the range runs from race-day shields to a frame for every day.

Sunglasses	The idea	Weight	Lens
Delta	The original: a 1980s shield with a vented lens and arched temple tips	26 g	Interchangeable
Mantra	A one-piece frame with arms that don’t fold	24 g	Interchangeable
Jumbo	A three-vent shield with temple tips that adjust to four lengths	26 g	Interchangeable
ANVMA V2	An everyday frame with a sporty edge	24 g	Prescription-ready

VZUM Lenses

Every VZUM lens blocks 100% of UV. The tints are chosen to lift colour and contrast, and a shield coating resists impact, scratches, fingerprints and water. The F-Lenses are photochromic, with the light-reactive molecules set into the lens itself, and they keep working on a cloudy day.

Lens	What it does	Light
F-Lens BTL	Photochromic. Slightly yellow when clear, a green-blue mirror when dark	Changing light
F-Lens FLM	Photochromic. Pink when clear, a blue mirror when dark	Changing light
F-Lens Fire	Photochromic. A red mirror when dark	Changing light
F-Lens Classic	Photochromic. Neutral when clear, dark grey when dark	Changing light
F-Lens Rocket	Photochromic, for the ANVMA	Changing light
Alu	A mirrored sun lens for strong light	Bright days
Polar	Polarised and high-contrast, to cut glare	Bright days and glare