Terms & Conditions
Last updated: 7 October 2026
1. About TANAKA Eyewear
TANAKA Eyewear Ltd produces frames in small numbers. Each frame is made by a single maker.
The house currently offers:
Black Archive. TANAKA's permanent line, made individually to order in two standard sizes, wide and narrow.
Patina Edition. TANAKA's numbered made-to-measure line, produced within editions of 150 pairs per model.
Bespoke. A frame designed for you individually, from the first drawing.
2. Definitions
We / us / our means TANAKA Eyewear Ltd.
You / your means the purchaser.
Order means an agreed request for a frame and any related services or lens work.
Black Archive means a TANAKA frame ordered in one of two standard sizes, wide or narrow.
Patina Edition means a TANAKA frame made to measure within a numbered edition.
Bespoke means a TANAKA frame designed for you individually, from the first drawing.
Sun Frame means a frame supplied with non-prescription sun lenses.
Prescription Glazing means lenses made to an optical prescription supplied by you.
At Distance means an order agreed and fulfilled without you attending the atelier in person.
Production Start means the point at which your order is committed to making. This may include serial allocation, material cutting, component preparation, fitting decisions, finishing, or lens ordering.
Date of Completion means the date on which the frame is completed by the atelier and confirmed as ready for collection or dispatch.
Date of Receipt means the date on which the frame is collected by you or delivered to the address you provide.
Normal Use means everyday wearing and handling consistent with eyewear use, including careful removal with both hands, routine cleaning, and storage in a case.
3. Orders and Acceptance
Orders are accepted at our discretion. An order is accepted only when we confirm it by email.
Before acceptance, we may ask for further information regarding model, line, size, fit, lenses, delivery, or other specification details.
4. Product Types
Black Archive is made individually to order in two standard sizes.
Patina Edition is made to measure and produced within numbered editions.
Bespoke is designed for you individually and then made. The price is quoted in writing once the initial brief is agreed. Making takes about four weeks from the agreed design, and we confirm the date in writing.
Any production window we provide is an estimate. Where no delivery period has been agreed, we will deliver within the period required by law.
5. How a Frame Is Ordered
In person. Frames may be ordered at the atelier following a viewing and fitting. All lines and lens types are available in person.
At Distance. Where you cannot attend the atelier, we may accept an order for a Sun Frame at a distance, using photographs, measurements and a video consultation.
Prescription Glazing is not supplied At Distance. The measurements required for prescription lenses are taken with the finished frame on your face, and cannot be established from photographs or scans. Frames for prescription use are therefore fitted at the atelier and handed over in person. See clause 8.
There are countries to which we are unable to send lenses. Where this applies to your destination, we will tell you before your order is confirmed.
6. Pricing and Payment
For Black Archive, full payment is required at order.
For Patina Edition, full payment is required at order. Payment confirms your order and your numbered allocation, and the frame then enters the making schedule.
For Bespoke, full payment is due when the design is agreed, before making begins.
Any non-recoverable costs already incurred at your request, including special-order components, prescription lenses, or other commissioned lens work, remain payable.
7. Specification, Fit, and Changes
A TANAKA frame cannot be bent or heat-adjusted after it is made. At the final fitting, only small adjustments to ear height and nose pad are possible. The fit is therefore settled before making: at the first fitting at the atelier, or from the photographs, measurements and video consultation provided At Distance.
For Black Archive, we advise on size using measurements from a current frame, fit notes, reference photographs, or other information you choose to provide.
For Patina Edition, the agreed specification is confirmed following the first fitting and any related allocation confirmation.
Before Production Start, you may request changes. We will confirm whether they are possible and whether timing or cost will change.
After Production Start, changes may no longer be possible. If they are possible, they may extend lead time and incur additional cost.
8. Prescription Lenses
TANAKA makes and fits frames. We do not dispense prescription spectacles.
Where you require prescription lenses, we make and fit the frame. Your own registered optometrist or dispensing optician then glazes it to your prescription and completes the dispense.
We do not carry out sight tests and we do not issue prescriptions.
Frame fitting is carried out at the atelier, with the finished frame on your face.
Sun lenses are supplied fitted, as part of the frame.
We may decline a commission where the frame, the lens specification or the prescription make a satisfactory result unlikely. Where we decline, any sums paid for that work are refunded.
9. Black Archive Cancellation and Returns
9.1 Distance orders, frame only. If you purchase a Black Archive frame only online, by email, by telephone, or otherwise at a distance as a consumer, you may cancel the order within 14 days after the day on which the frame is delivered.
To cancel, you must notify us clearly in writing within that period. If you cancel, the frame must be returned to us within 14 days of telling us you wish to cancel.
Unless the frame is faulty or we agree otherwise in writing, you are responsible for the return cost. We may withhold refund until we receive the frame back or you provide evidence of return.
If cancellation is valid, we will refund the price paid for the frame and the basic outbound delivery charge originally paid, using the same payment method where possible.
If the frame has been handled beyond what would reasonably be permitted in a studio or shop setting, we may reduce the refund to reflect any loss in value.
9.2 Orders concluded in person. Where the contract is concluded in person at the atelier, change-of-mind cancellation or return is not accepted unless the frame is faulty or where required by law.
Where an order is confirmed at a distance, clause 9.1 applies, whether or not you have previously viewed frames at the atelier.
9.3 Prescription glazing and personalised lens work. Where Black Archive is ordered with Prescription Glazing, special-order lenses, or other lens work commissioned specifically for you, that order is treated as made to your specifications or clearly personalised.
Once such work has been committed, cancellation or return for change of mind is not accepted, except where the product is faulty or where required by law.
10. Patina Edition and Bespoke Cancellation
For Patina Edition, cancellation may be accepted before Production Start, less any non-recoverable costs already incurred at your request, including special-order components or commissioned lens work.
After Production Start, cancellation is not accepted and payments are not refundable, except where the product is faulty or where required by law.
For Bespoke, design work begins once the initial brief is agreed. If you cancel after that point and before the design is agreed, the design time spent is charged at £80 an hour, up to £400. We will tell you the expected design time when the brief is agreed.
Once the design is agreed and paid for, you may cancel before Production Start. We keep £400 and refund the rest. After Production Start, cancellation is not accepted and payment is not refundable, except where the product is faulty or where required by law.
11. Delivery, Risk, and Inspection
We ship from the United Kingdom. Delivery times depend on destination and carrier. Frames are dispatched insured.
Risk passes when the parcel is delivered to the address you provide, or on collection where arranged.
Please inspect the item promptly on arrival and notify us without delay if there is any transit damage or fault.
12. Frames Made At Distance: Fitting on Arrival
A frame made At Distance is checked on arrival as any other frame would be.
If the frame does not sit correctly, you may return it to us. We can make small adjustments to ear height and nose pad. Where the cause is an error in our reading of the photographs and measurements supplied, we will remake the frame once.
Where the frame comes back because of an error in our reading, outbound and return shipping is at our cost, for Black Archive and Patina Edition alike. Where it comes back for any other reason, shipping is at your cost.
This clause does not apply to change of mind, or where the photographs, measurements or other information supplied to us were inaccurate or incomplete.
13. Prices, Taxes, and Duties
TANAKA Eyewear Ltd is not currently registered for VAT. Prices are as shown on this site. Bespoke is quoted in writing.
For orders shipped outside the United Kingdom, local taxes, import duties, customs charges, and handling fees may apply in the destination country unless we state otherwise. These charges are the responsibility of the customer. We will tell you what is likely to apply before you commit.
Where Prescription Glazing, special-order lenses, or other commissioned additions are quoted separately, we will say so clearly.
14. Faulty Goods and Statutory Rights
If a product is faulty, misdescribed, or does not conform to contract, you may have statutory rights in your country of residence.
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes rights that cannot legally be limited or excluded.
15. Five-Year Warranty
This warranty is offered in addition to your statutory rights and does not limit them.
Each TANAKA frame is covered by a five-year warranty from the Date of Completion.
This warranty covers faults in our making or in the materials, including serviceable issues in material, construction, and mechanical components such as hinges. It also includes small adjustments to ear height and nose pad, and assessment of the frame's structural and functional condition where appropriate.
Not covered
routine lens replacement
lens scratches, coating wear, or breakage not resulting from an original defect
accidental damage, including drops, impact, crushing, cracking, or chipping
damage caused by excessive heat, solvents, household sprays, or improper cleaning
any attempt to bend or heat-adjust the frame
misuse, neglect, unauthorised adjustment, or third-party repair or modification
loss or theft
a change in your face or prescription
normal change from use, including patina, colour change, surface polish, sheen, and edge character
Assessment. All warranty claims are assessed on the information provided and, where necessary, by physical inspection of the frame. Acceptance for repair or restoration is determined after assessment.
Where the cause is consistent with Normal Use and covered by warranty, we will confirm the appropriate service route. Where the cause is accidental damage, mishandling, or another excluded circumstance, the issue is not covered under warranty, though paid service or restoration may still be offered after assessment.
How to claim. Email studio@tanaka-eyes.com with your order details, frame serial number, and clear photographs. Please wait for confirmation from the atelier before sending the frame.
16. Service Outside Warranty
Where work falls outside warranty, service may still be offered following assessment. This may include small adjustments to ear height and nose pad, repair, lens replacement, or selected restoration, depending on the condition of the frame and the integrity of the possible result.
Not every frame, and not every form of damage, is suitable for repair or restoration. A private quotation will be provided before any non-warranty work begins.
For work outside warranty, shipping and insurance to and from the atelier remain the responsibility of the customer.
17. Kintsugi-Informed Restoration
In selected cases involving cracking or chipping, TANAKA may offer a kintsugi-informed restoration approach. The purpose is to return strength while allowing a visible memory of the repair to remain.
This is assessed individually according to the nature of the damage, the structure of the frame, and the integrity of the result. It is used only where the structure of the frame and the quality of the outcome justify it.
18. Care and Use
The material holds its shape and its edge, and shows the signs of time with wear. Patina Edition changes colour with wear. Black Archive keeps its colour; the black deepens and gains a sheen.
The frame cannot be bent or heat-adjusted. Do not try to reshape it.
Wear and remove the frame with both hands.
If dust or grit is present, rinse with lukewarm water before wiping. Use mild soap if needed, rinse, and dry fully.
Store the frame in its case when not in use.
Do not use alcohol, solvents, household sprays, abrasive cloths, hot water, or home ultrasonic cleaners. Avoid sustained heat.
If hardware loosens, contact the atelier or a qualified optician. Do not overtighten.
19. Ownership, Authenticity, and Resale
Each frame is recorded by maker and serial number. Where applicable, serial identity and edition identity form part of the object's authenticity.
Private resale of your own item is permitted. Commercial resale, retail listing, or representing yourself as an authorised seller of TANAKA Eyewear without written consent is not permitted.
For Bespoke, you own the frame. The design, including drawings and patterns, belongs to TANAKA Eyewear Ltd. Each Bespoke frame is made to your measurements, and we will not make the exact same frame again.
20. If We Cannot Complete Your Order
TANAKA is the work of a single maker. If we are unable to complete an accepted order, we will tell you as soon as we can and refund all sums you have paid in respect of that order.
Where possible we will first offer an alternative, such as a revised making date or a different size or line.
21. Data and Privacy
We collect and hold information you provide through Atelier notes sign-ups, through enquiries, and in the course of an order.
Where you provide an optical prescription or related optical information, that is health data and is treated as special category personal data. We use it only to specify, make, glaze, fit and service your frame.
We keep order and service records for as long as is necessary to support the five-year warranty and the frame's service record, and for any period required by law. Atelier notes sign-ups are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them.
Full detail of what we collect, our lawful basis, and your rights is set out in our Privacy Policy.
22. Limitation of Liability
We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Our total liability is limited to the price paid for the product to which a claim relates, unless otherwise required by law.
23. Force Majeure
We are not responsible for delays caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
24. Complaints
If something is wrong, write to us at studio@tanaka-eyes.com with your order details and frame serial number. We will acknowledge your message within five working days and tell you how we intend to resolve it.
25. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
If you are a consumer, you may also benefit from mandatory consumer protections in your country of residence. Nothing in these Terms excludes those protections.
26. Contact
TANAKA Eyewear Ltd, Company No. 16418135
Registered office: Dhl 106 1 Dye House Lane, London, England, E3 2TB
Atelier: Unit 106, Riverbank Business Park, 1 Dye House Lane, London E3 2TB, United Kingdom
Notices under these Terms, including cancellation, must be sent to studio@tanaka-eyes.com or to the registered office.
