The best eyewear brands and shops in KL

Two words: Asian fit. Friends and founders Hau and Hoong’s Pott Glasses have discovered that there is a real, practical need for glasses that fit Asian features better – we have higher cheekbones, lower nose bridges and wider faces than Caucasians, for whom most Western eyewear brands are designed for. The Malaysian-made label carries dozens of designs, in different colours and styles from RM265 a pair – including clubmasters, oxfords and wire-rim glasses.

If you can’t come to Pott Glasses, Pott Glasses will come to you: the boys have a door-to-door try-on service, so you can select up to 16 pairs and they’ll bring the glasses to you to try on. As a bonus, for every pair of glasses sold, they donate one to those in need.

Fitting customers since 1984, Reliance is a fixture in the busy, ever-changing streets of Telawi – for years now, the family business has been hawking stellar brands and some one-of-a-kind frames, whether it’s for daily use, prescription, or as a fashion statement. Go on a deep dive into the drawers here to find a pair that’ll cause double takes on the sidewalks; they’re well-stocked with over 100 brands, so there’s a huge selection – from classics to more architectural designs, and funky frames as well as on-trend ones the likes of Dita, Lindberg, Linda Farrow, Givenchy and Victoria Beckham.

Here are some Time Out tips: avoid weekends when the store is most likely to pack out a full house, and always ask the attentive staff to help you sort out their massive collection of glasses, whether by function, style or price points. There’s also an optometrist on-site; you can perform an eye exam for free. Even if you don’t purchase a pair on the spot, they’ll save your prescription for when you do decide to get one.

Local label Medium Rare may be better known as socks specialists for their Good Pair range – last year they collaborated with Moto Guo on a collection of geometric-patterned socks – but their glasses also provide for plenty of envy. Medium Rare offers the cool kids of KL a solid selection of fashionable frames that are as loud as designer brands but at a fraction of the cost. Options range from classic to contemporary styles for daily wear as well as shades, including tortoiseshell frames and nude glasses. They’re also a regular at pop-up bazaars and markets, so keep your eyes peeled.

Available from Fabspy, Epik-Shop, FashionValet and Zalora. For more info visit their Facebook page.

This spacious and brightly lit Japanese optical boutique stocks a wide array of premium hard-to-find eyewear from Japan, the United States and Europe, including handcrafted acetate sunglasses and retro wooden spectacles with prices that go into the thousands. Super by RetroSuperFuture, Lumete, Kagero Design Works and Masunaga are just some of the highly rated brands on show at Marq Optic Gallery, which has also earned a reputation for its outstanding personalised service.

The Korean-inspired eyewear brand has over 2,000 designs in-store.

Choose your favourite frames, check your eyes, and collect your finished glasses in half an hour, tops.