Renowned for both their mindfulness and obsessive attention to detail, District Vision was founded in 2015 by two childhood friends, Max Vallot and Tom Daly (not that one) who were both frustrated that the eyewear they saw in running, didn’t mirror the style or technology they coveted.
But their story starts long before 2015.
When District Vision was launched, the friends had already spent two and half years pinballing between New York and Japan focusing on R&D, and sourcing and refining each component that would eventually define the fitness eyewear industry. But they also brought a focus on meditation and intertwining wellness into their research too.
Each of the glasses within District Vision’s range are light, they come with adjustable nose pads and they offer an engineered, more aesthetically pleasing alternative to the ‘cyborg’ style wraparounds.
Their most popular marathon eyewear is called the Keiichi Standard and is named after the company’s development facility in Sabae, a little-known city, but in Japan has long been associated with producing only the most premium titanium eyewear.
But it’s not just the components that are impressive. D+ Lens Technology is something else.
Their lenses are actually engineered with the specific purpose of reducing strain on the eye, which can be increased during physical exertion. By researching eye protection and how different light transmissions, filters, colour science material innovation and lenses can protect and ‘relax’ specific eye muscles, D+ Lens Technology is the first therapeutic-grade lens technology that’s available to runners.
Of course, they’re shatterproof, water and oil repellent and they also feature reverse lens anti-reflective coating. Their demanding specifications are such, that all their eyewear continues to be handmade in Japan.
And now, District Vision is about much more than eyewear.
With a comprehensive range of tops, shorts, half tights and jackets, they’ve turned their focus to creating capsule apparel and accessory collections with inspirational touches that echo the research and time they spent testing, refining and developing their eyewear.
The running tees and vests incorporate a unique technology called Air-wear Tech, which when you look closely, is a hidden mesh fabric, made from a series of diamond-shaped perforations that open and close when you move. So air, heat and sweat are all effortlessly wicked away. Their shorts are made from a recycled shell fabric that’s fast-drying and water repellent – and depending on which version you choose – either have a compression liner or a linerless race option too. The half-tight range offers a recycled, Italian milled, four-way stretch fabric with sweat-wicking and odour controlling properties as well as four strategically placed pockets. We’ll also stock outdoor performance t-shirts made from recycled wood pulp that use a treatment process that requires less water than cotton. This results in a more breathable and durable fabric and is much more environmentally friendly too.
The fleece outerwear items incorporate heavy-duty 300g recycled Italian high-pile fleece with a hidden chest pocket made from 65g Japanese three-layer waterproof membrane to keep phones and any other items you don’t want to get wet all safe and tucked up. Finally, the ‘Theo’ is a lightweight water-resistant, half-zip shell that’s perfect for the variable weather conditions we all know and love.
District Vision’s clarity of purpose and the sense of retaining only the most essential of design elements – all combine to allow you to focus on the path ahead. Both in the great outdoors and in life.