Cover Pott Glasses co-founder Tai Hau Aw (left) tells Tatler his decade-long journey of building a eyewear brand that prioritises Asian facial features
Pott Glasses co-founder Tai Hau Aw (left) tells Tatler his decade-long journey of building a eyewear brand that prioritises Asian facial features
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Proof that creativity is in the details, Pott Glasses co-founder Tai Hau Aw tells Tatler his decade-long journey of building a eyewear brand that prioritises Asian facial features
Details are everything—and Malaysians with truly discerning fashion sense notice when a brand attends to the minutiae.
Tai Hau Aw, co-founder of Pott Glasses, turned tiny refinements—the angle of a nose pad, the arc of a temple arm, the exact width across an Asian cheekbone—into a business philosophy that reads as both craft and commercial clarity. The origin story of Pott Glasses begins poignantly from Aw’s backpacking adventure through Europe.
“Strolling down the streets of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, I stumbled upon a small handcrafted shop selling glasses made from repurposed skateboard wood,” Aw explains. “The creativity and craftsmanship behind each frame sparked something in me, a new way of thinking about eyewear design. Across Europe, eyewear was treated as fashion, worn with confidence and individuality. This made me realise that glasses could be both functional and expressive, a true extension of one’s personal style.”
Above Under Aw’s leadership, Pott Glasses experiments with fashion boundaries, collaborating with Pestle & Mortar, Motherchuckers, and NOIZ BY A-JANE, for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2024
Under Aw’s leadership, Pott Glasses experiments with fashion boundaries, collaborating with Pestle & Mortar, Motherchuckers, and NOIZ BY A-JANE, for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2024
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The brand began in 2015 as a wholly online venture. Early on Aw and his childhood friend and co-founder, former optician Eden Hoong, took frames to customers’ homes with a Door-to-Door Try On service, bringing more than thirty pieces to be tested in real life and selling at local markets while they found product-market fit.
“I’ve always worn glasses, and made it a yearly routine to visit the optical shop where Eden worked to get a new pair,” Aw says. “What stood out to me most was how personal the process felt. He would take the time to understand my needs, preferences before recommending me frames. It wasn’t just about vision correction; it was about finding something that truly reflected who I was.”
Personalisation was the solution that would carry Hoong and Aw’s vision for their brand. Close fittings produced a precise brief for manufacturers to create frames that sit comfortably on Asian features while retaining distinct style.
Rather than a pragmatic accessory to enhance one’s vision, one’s glasses could absolutely become an extension of the wearer’s personality.
Above Pott Glasses’ collaboration with Pestle & Mortar Clothing brand
Pott Glasses’ collaboration with Pestle & Mortar Clothing brand
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In 2019, Pott Glasses introduced augmented-reality virtual try-on locally, learning from that experiment and later pausing it as customers demonstrated a clear preference for in-person consultation.
Across its nine retail stores across West Malaysia, Pott Glasses offers signature 4D Optical Styling—which factors prescription needs, occupation, face shape and wardrobe—which has evolved into 5D after a partnership with Korea’s Colour Convergence Lab, adding professional colour analysis to help customers select shades that complement their natural tones.
“Once you find your niche, go deep into it,” Aw says. “For us, it was designing eyewear that fits Asian facial features perfectly. That focus became the heart of Pott Glasses and what set us apart.”
Today the label has become a frequent collaborator within the local fashion scene.
See also: Crafty pursuits: creative workshops for handmade gifts across Asia
Partnerships with NOIZ by A-Jane for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Pestle & Mortar Clothing and BEHATI at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week have translated craftsmanship into cultural currency.
To mark its tenth year Pott launched Pott Sunnies: Collection ‘X’, a sunglasses capsule featuring detachable charms created alongside local Nuvu and Wanderlust + Co, an elegant nod to personalisation and play.
Don’t miss: A piece of heritage: Pieces by Raeesa founder breathes new life into Malaysian batik
Above Nuvu x Pot Glasses collaboration involved quirky detachable charms
Above Wanderlust & Co.’s signature designs came to the forefront in this collaboration with Pott Glasses
Nuvu x Pot Glasses collaboration involved quirky detachable charms
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Aw is candid about what sustains a brand: accountability, curiosity and the courage to go deep into a niche. “If there’s one thing I have learned over the past 10 years, it’s that longevity in any business starts with accountability,” he says. “Take accountability for every decision, that’s what helps you grow as both a person and a business owner. Every outcome, good or bad, teaches you something valuable.”
His final counsel is clear: “innovate boldly, build sincerely, and never lose sight of why you started.” Those lines encapsulate a decade in which meticulous detail became Pott Glasses’ signature and comfort its promise, and more to come, quietly confident.
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Credits
Images: Pott Glasses
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Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
