Japanese eyewear brand JINS opens U.S. flagship

Japan’s largest eyewear brand is opening its first U.S. flagship store in California with a unique, gallery-like setting designed by San Francisco architecture firm Kwan Henmi.

Shoppers at JINS will be able to choose trendy, customized eyeglass styles for each face and personality with affordable prices ranging from $60 to $120, including high-quality aspheric lenses.

At the center of the store will be Kanna, an intricately-designed robot that creates prescription lenses on-site in just 30 minutes. The company says thisis a first for the U.S. eyewear market and will disrupt the eyeglass shopping experience as we know it, providing fast, precise service with customers browsing, purchasing and receiving their new eyewear all in the same day.

In addition, starting on April 10 customers nationwide in the U.S. will be able to purchase JINS eyewear online with an existing prescription.

"Eyeglasses are small, delicate objects that might get lost in a large space, but we made sure that they are easy to touch and try on, by organizing them in a system of simple, well-lit, repetitive grids,” said Denis Henmi, president and CEO of Kwan Henmi. “This simplicity and accessibility has deep roots in the JINS brand, and are qualities that recur throughout our store design.”

JINS is well-known for raising the bar with unique shopping experiences – its stores in Japan push boundaries with their bright, inviting designs and other distinctive elements. JINS hopes to bring this innovative approach to members of the U.S. market who want a personalized, hands-on experience when buying glasses. At the heart of the store will be Kanna, an intricately-designed robot that edges high-quality, aspheric lenses on-site while customers wait.

The flagship store and e-commerce site at jins.com will be open on April 10.