Jason Kirk’s family has worked in optics for over a century – their first London workshops opened in 1919. When he and his wife Karen moved to Brighton from France in the early 90s, they decided that Jason’s expertise and Karen’s creative talent could shake up the traditionally conservative optics industry.

And so Kirk & Kirk was born, designing frames made of innovative material for independent opticians and fashion houses and selling through their own three retail stores. They also launched an international optical trade fair and a UK manufacturing plant, whilst still maintaining their French plant.

Kirk & Kirk are based in Hove and Jason will share how he and Karen have steered the business through the demands of investors and the vagaries of fashion, recession and technological advances over a 30 year career.