Our story

How it all began

Magyia’s story began with 2 old friends – a French and a Finn – coming together in Hong Kong after years of living abroad in various countries. While catching up over an afternoon BBQ, we started talking about the crazy expensive prices in Europe compared to Asia, and how eyewear was no exception – we learned that buying glasses back home was extremely expensive and it made no sense to us. We had both worked in production before; we knew that most of the factories were close to us. So, we realized if we were to do things differently, if we were to do things right, we could change the whole industry and we could be the ones bringing high quality eyewear to the European markets at a fraction of the existing price! 

We started by meeting agents, import & export houses and very fast we realized that the price was still way too high! We were convinced that the actual production cost should not be this high and decided to personally find the factories instead. To our pleasant surprise, we were right; it was quite cheap to produce eyewear in reality. The key was to remove the middlemen – the agents, the exporters, the wholesalers and the opticians, and have the glasses delivered directly to your home.

What are we doing today

Our focus is to break the prejudices and the existing mindset people have in the eyewear industry – to provide a reasonable option for you to get your fashionable high-quality eyewear at an affordable price. For so many decades there have not been many options for eyewear. The first option has always been to go to a local optician. They have constantly been telling you that if you want high quality glasses, you need to pay 400-800 euros for a pair. For them, these prices make sense because they don’t have any connections to the factories and must pay 2-4 intermediaries extra costs who in turn always charge a high profit increasing the price drastically at every step. They have a physical store with staff, so they pay rent and salaries. Their reach is only in the local neighborhood, and they cannot scale up their business. And in the end, they still take 100-500% profit on the final product. Yes, you get personal service, and they will read your prescription and send it to the factories (that’s why it always takes them 2-3 weeks to manufacture your lenses) but you have to think - is the price worth it in the end for such a simple product? The second alternative has been the cheap pharmacy glasses that break easily and look horrible. These are generally regarded as “use for a few times and then throw away”. But is this something you really want for yourself?  

Thankfully, we provide you with a third option. Contrary to what the opticians say, you don’t actually have to pay a high price to get good quality. The only ones benefiting from a high price are the ones who say it, not the ones who are paying for it. What you should really know about glasses is that acetate is a fancy word for bendy plastic-like material, and it really doesn't cost much to produce. So why would you pay 200 euros for a frame that originally cost 10 euros to produce?  

The other prejudice is that you need to see a physical person in order to have your glasses made and that is why you cannot order online. But that is not true! What happens when you order your glasses customized to your needs is that the prescription gets shared with the factory who punches in the digits into a machine that makes the lenses automatically. It doesn't matter where you order the glasses from, the process is always the same. So, you will have to be the one who decides which option do you go for and what is the best value for money for you.   

What is our Vision for the future 

We want people to pay the right price for their eyewear. No more unreasonable prices, no more going back and forth to the optician with your car just to pay way too much and wear the same pair for 5-10 years because you can’t afford another pair. We want ordering glasses online to become as normalized as shopping for clothing, ordering pizza, getting your groceries delivered home and booking your transportation to go out. We know that ordering glasses will be the same in the future too and we want to be in the forefront of that, together with you.  

Finally, the only way to make the world a better place is by giving back to the people in need. We have been privileged enough to be able to start this company and we want to make sure that people in need will have the opportunity to get free education so that they are able to have better prospects for their future. This is something we will do through sponsoring schools in developing countries and hopefully one day having our own Magyia sponsored school where both education and the needed eye care for the students are provided for free.  

Company information 

Magyia Ltd. Is officially registered in Hong Kong S.A.R. where our headquarters is also located.  

Magyia Ltd. is registered in the EU IOSS system, ensuring that customs fees and tax payment are handled by Magyia, so that you do not have to worry or pay any of these. Read more about IOSS here (https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/ioss_en). 

Magyia Ltd. is in the process of registering a branch office in the EU to be even closer to you and opening our showrooms.