Warby Parker is a designer eyewear company that primary sells prescription eyewear through the company's e-commerce website, but has physical retail stores located throughout the United States and Canada. The company will send you 5 pairs of glasses to try on at home 100% free of charge and will donate a pair of prescription eyewear to someone in need for every pair of glasses sold.

"Where does the name “Warby Parker” come from?"

"The stork. (Just kidding.)

In May 2009, our co-founder Dave was wandering around the New York Public Library when he stumbled into an exhibition about Jack Kerouac. The four of us had long been inspired by Kerouac, who spurred a generation to take the road less traveled.

The exhibit included some of Kerouac’s manuscripts, drafts, and journals. In one of the journals, Dave noticed two characters with interesting names: Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker. We combined the two and came up with Warby Parker.

Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses."

Every idea starts with a problem. Ours was simple: glasses are too expensive. We were students when one of us lost his glasses on a backpacking trip. The cost of replacing them was so high that he spent the first semester of grad school without them, squinting and complaining. (We don’t recommend this.) The rest of us had similar experiences, and we were amazed at how hard it was to find a pair of great frames that didn’t leave our wallets bare. Where were the options?

It turns out there was a simple explanation. The eyewear industry is dominated by a single company that has been able to keep prices artificially high while reaping huge profits from consumers who have no other options.

We started Warby Parker to create an alternative.

By circumventing traditional channels, designing glasses in-house, and engaging with customers directly, we’re able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear at a fraction of the going price.

We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket.

We also believe that everyone has the right to see.

Almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, which means that 15% of the world’s population cannot effectively learn or work. To help address this problem, Warby Parker partners with non-profits like VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need.

There’s nothing complicated about it. Good eyewear, good outcome."

Meet the Founder's

Neil Blumenthal

As the former director of non-profit VisionSpring, Neil spent the better part of five years distributing glasses to people living on less than $4 per day. A native of New York City, Neil is a Leo and enjoys long walks in the park. With Dave, he is co-CEO of Warby Parker.

Dave Gilboa

Like a Viking from his native Sweden, Dave spends his free time seeking adventure. Two recent conquests include trekking across Antarctica and becoming the fastest person ever to run a marathon in a flamingo costume. With Neil, he is co-CEO of Warby Parker.

Andy Hunt

Andy has studied eyewear design in more than 40 countries. Rumors that he conceived the idea for Warby Parker at a temple in the jungle city of Angkor Wat remain unsubstantiated but plausible. Andy is currently continuing the adventure at Highland Capital Partners.

Jeff Raider

A bespectacled man for life, Jeff wanted to start Warby Parker because he couldn’t find any frames on the market that fit his quirky yet impeccable taste. Because his passion for glasses is matched only by his enthusiasm for a baby’s-bottom-caliber shave, Jeff went on to co-found Harry’s.

‍https://www.warbyparker.com/history

To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.

1) Treat customers the way we’d like to be treated.

They don’t call it the golden rule for nothing. Shopping for glasses should be fun, easy, and not ridiculously expensive.

2) Create an environment where employees can think big, have fun, and do good.

Sometimes people say to us: “If you love your job so much, why don’t you marry it?” (Answer: we would if we could.)

3) Get out there.

No company is an island. Serving the community is in our DNA—from distributing a pair of frames for every pair sold to sponsoring local Little League teams (Go Giants! Go Skyscrapers!). We also work with Verité to ensure that our factories have fair working conditions and happy employees.

4) Green is good.

Warby Parker is one of the only carbon-neutral eyewear brands in the world.

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