A SPECTACLE maker is bucking the retail shutdown and opening a new shop in North Laine.

Glasses firm Cubitts has chosen Brighton as the location for its first store outside of London.

Situated on the corner of Sydney Street and Gloucester Road, the shop will sell an exclusive set of spectacles dubbed the Brighton Collection when it opens this month.

Founder Tom Broughton said the shop’s opening felt like a “spiritual homecoming” for his firm.

“We are named after the Cubitt brothers, and one of the three, Thomas Cubitt, was involved in the building of Brighton’s Kemp Town area, and lived here for a while too,” he said.

The Brighton Collection includes four sets of spectacles named after Brighton’s streets.

The Arundel, named after Arundel Drive, is modelled on the curves of Saltdean Lido.

“The statement silhouette is finished with a chunky saddle bridge and blunted cat-eye lugs, in a nod to the confluence of lines and curves in the lido’s architecture,” a Cubitts spokesman said.

Meanwhile the Steine is designed to mirror the Royal Pavilion.

“Its 1930s-inspired round-eye lens shape is drawn directly from the Pavilion’s floor plan, while its slender temple sides are reminiscent of the building’s taller towers,” a spokesman said.

“The Steine’s acetate is finished in a rounded style, signifying the bulbous domes of the Indo-Saracenic building.”

The Trafalgar, named after the street which runs from Brighton Station into North Laine, is modelled on “railway spectacles” worn by train passengers in the 1800s.

“Rather than the hinged lenses of a railway spectacle, it features a corresponding D-shaped temple side that tapers into a straight silhouette reminiscent of train tracks,” a spokesman said.

Finally the Madeira frame, named after Brighton’s most famous seafront road, is inspired by a bird’s eye view of Brighton Palace Pier.

“Its octagonal lens shape is inspired by a bird’s eye view of the end of the pier, and its undulating temple side shape is similarly derived from the slender length of the pier seen from the same viewpoint,” a company spokesman said.

“This Madeira’s saddle bridge adds a touch of softness to the very angular silhouette, with the lens shape repeated in miniature at the end of each spectacle arm.”

The Brighton Collection is available in optical and sun varieties.

The spectacles are available in more than 300 acetate colours and patterns, as well as “ethically-sourced water buffalo horn”.

The store will also sell cleaning cloths adorned with artwork from Brighton artist David Shrigley and made from recycled plastic bottles.

All money from sales of the cloths will go to the The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

And of course, the Cubitts store will offer eye examinations, repairs and adjustments.

The company hopes the shop itself will be easy on the eye too.

“The store’s interior is inspired by a mix of bucket-and-spade nostalgia, mid-century geometry, and the kind of bold typography that filled Brighton’s busy streets and beachfront in the not-so-distant past,” a spokesman said.

“The design includes Art Deco influences that reflect the city’s architecture, with a material palette that includes sleek chrome, pale pine, and sustainable recycled plastic surfaces from Smile Plastics.

“A modernist colour palette of soft, muted blues and warm wood tones ties the store into Cubitts’ new coastal home.

“Inside the store green foliage, sleek mid-century furniture, and a deep velvet curtain create a plush, welcoming atmosphere.

“It may be a far cry from the street’s origins as one of the city’s most notorious slums, but the design certainly celebrates the North Laine’s reputation as the centre of independent design and creativity by the seaside.”

Cubitts was founded in London eight years ago.

It is named after Victorian Cubitt brothers, who were all engineers.

The eldest, Thomas Cubitt, built 37 houses in Kemp Town in the 19th century.

He lived in 13 Lewes Crescent from 1846 to 1855, where a blue plaque is visible.