Moscot

Moscot is a privately owned American eyewear brand headquartered in New York City. Its business specializes in optical frames, prescription eyewear, and sunglasses, combining a Lower East Side retail heritage with a contemporary international fashion presence. The company remains controlled by the Moscot family and is widely associated with classic shapes, recognizable acetate construction, and a deliberately personal approach to optical retail. The business traces its roots to Hyman Moscot, a Jewish-Belarusian immigrant who arrived in New York around the turn of the twentieth century. Before opening a permanent store, he sold ready-made eyeglasses from a wooden pushcart on Orchard Street in Manhattan's Lower East Side. In 1915, he established a retail shop at 94 Rivington Street. The store served the neighborhood's immigrant population and developed a highly distinctive visual identity, including prominent window graphics and oversized depictions of eyes and spectacles. Moscot passed through several generations of family management. Hyman's son Solomon, known as Sol, assumed responsibility for the business as a teenager and moved the shop to 118 Orchard Street in 1935. That location remained central to the company's identity for decades. Solomon's son Joel later led the company for more than fifty years, maintaining the neighborhood optical-shop model while preparing the next generation to expand the business. The fourth generation brought a significant transition. Harvey Moscot, trained as an optometrist, joined the business as a doctor, while his brother Kenny brought financial and commercial expertise. After Joel's retirement in 2003, the company changed its public name from Sol Moscot to Moscot and began transforming from a single-location neighborhood business into a global brand. A second Manhattan store had already opened in 1996 at West 14th Street, and the company subsequently expanded its retail network to Brooklyn and overseas locations including London, Tokyo, Seoul, and Zurich. Moscot's product identity rests on enduring frame designs rather than rapid seasonal turnover. Models such as Lemtosh and Miltzen are strongly associated with the brand's heritage aesthetic, while collaborations and limited releases have introduced new colors, materials, and cultural associations. The company has worked with designers, musicians, artists, and fashion labels, including Chris Benz, Simon Miller, Myles Kennedy, Tariq Trotter, Johan Lindeberg's BLK DNM, Common Projects, and Helio Ascari. Its frames have also appeared in film and popular culture, helping reinforce the brand's connection to New York, creative communities, and vintage eyewear. Although Moscot emphasizes family history and traditional optical expertise, its frames have reportedly been manufactured in China for decades. This reflects the distinction between the brand's New York design, retail, and storytelling identity and the geographic location of production. Moscot continues to operate as an active, family-owned eyewear company with a mix of flagship stores, international retail locations, optical services, core frame models, sunglasses, and limited collaborations.

Moscot's origins lie in New York City's Lower East Side and in the optical work of Hyman Moscot, a Jewish-Belarusian immigrant. After arriving in New York around 1899, Hyman used prior optical experience to sell ready-made eyeglasses from a wooden pushcart on Orchard Street. His customers included the area's large immigrant population, and the business developed through personal service rather than through a large chain structure. In 1915, Hyman opened the first permanent Moscot shop at 94 Rivington Street. The storefront used conspicuous signs, posters, and oversized eye and eyeglass illustrations, establishing a visual language that later became part of the company's heritage. Hyman's son Solomon, known as Sol, became involved as a teenager and took over the business in 1925. In 1935, Sol moved the store to 118 Orchard Street, where it remained for almost eighty years. The shop's bright yellow sign and black eyeglass imagery became closely identified with the Lower East Side and with downtown New York. Sol's son Joel began leading the business in 1951. He managed the company for more than five decades, preserving its neighborhood optical character while passing its operating values to his sons. Harvey Moscot studied optometry and joined the company as an eye-care professional in 1986. Kenny Moscot entered in 1991 after studying finance. Under the family's fourth generation, Moscot began developing a more structured retail and brand platform without abandoning its family-owned identity. The first major modern retail expansion came in 1996, when the company opened a second Manhattan store at 69 West 14th Street. After Joel retired in 2003, the business changed its name from Sol Moscot to Moscot. This rebranding accompanied a broader effort to present the company as a global eyewear brand rather than solely as a local optical shop. Harvey became president after his brother's death in 2010. In 2013, Moscot moved its Lower East Side store from 118 Orchard Street to 108 Orchard Street across Delancey Street. The new location remained connected to the neighborhood's history and was later included in a Tenement Museum historical tour. That same year, the company opened a Cobble Hill flagship in Brooklyn, with architectural references to the original Rivington Street store. During the twenty-first century, Moscot expanded internationally, opening stores in London, Tokyo, Seoul, and later Zurich. Zack Moscot, Harvey's son, joined the company full time in 2013 after studying industrial and product design at the University of Michigan. His role as chief eyewear designer represents the fifth generation of family involvement. The brand's commercial identity is built around classic optical silhouettes, including Lemtosh and Miltzen, supplemented by sunglasses, seasonal colorways, limited editions, and collaborations. It has partnered with figures and labels from fashion, music, and art. Examples include a 2008 Chris Benz edition of the Nebb, the 2011 Terry frame associated with photographer Terry Richardson, the 2014 Grunya frame developed with Tariq Trotter, and projects involving Simon Miller, Myles Kennedy, Johan Lindeberg's BLK DNM, Common Projects, and Helio Ascari. Moscot has also benefited from film and celebrity associations, including Lemtosh worn by Johnny Depp in Secret Window and a Justin Theroux model based on eyewear worn by his character in Mulholland Drive. Moscot's heritage is primarily located in its New York stores, design language, family continuity, and optical service. The company has nevertheless operated with a global supply chain; its frames have been made in China for decades. This combination of New York identity, family stewardship, international retail, and vintage-influenced product design defines the brand's contemporary position.

1. 2022Zurich store opens

   Moscot adds a Zurich location to its international retail network.

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2. 2013Lower East Side relocation and Brooklyn expansion

   The historic store moves to 108 Orchard Street, while a new flagship opens in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

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3. 2013Zack Moscot joins full time

   Zack Moscot joins the company as the fifth generation of the family to work in the business.

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4. 2010Harvey Moscot becomes president

   Harvey Moscot assumes the presidency after the death of his brother.

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5. 2003Business rebrands as Moscot

   After Joel's retirement, the company changes its public identity from Sol Moscot to Moscot.

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6. 1996Second Manhattan store opens

   Moscot expands beyond Orchard Street with a store at 69 West 14th Street, which remains a flagship location.

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7. 1951Joel Moscot begins the third-generation era

   Joel Moscot takes charge of the business and later leads it for more than fifty years.

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8. 1935Store moves to 118 Orchard Street

   Solomon relocates the business to 118 Orchard Street, a location that becomes central to Moscot's identity for nearly eight decades.

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9. 1925Solomon Moscot takes over the business

   Hyman's youngest son, Solomon, begins leading the family business at age fifteen.

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10. 1915First permanent shop opens

    Hyman establishes a retail eyewear store at 94 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side.

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11. 1899Hyman Moscot arrives in New York

    Hyman Moscot, a Jewish-Belarusian immigrant with optical experience, settles in Manhattan and begins selling ready-made eyeglasses from a pushcart.

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A premium, heritage-led eyewear brand positioned around New York authenticity, family ownership, optical expertise, durable classic forms, and fashion-conscious collaborations.

• LemtoshOptical frame and sunglasses

  Lemtosh is one of Moscot's best-known heritage silhouettes. Its rounded, substantial shape and vintage character make it representative of the brand's classic New York optical aesthetic. The model is available in optical and sunglass configurations and has gained wider cultural recognition through film and celebrity wear, including Johnny Depp's appearance in Secret Window.

• MiltzenOptical frame and sunglasses

  Miltzen is a signature Moscot frame associated with rounded lenses, a retro profile, and a strong acetate construction. It forms part of the brand's core heritage offering and is sold in optical and sun versions, with color and finish variations supporting both prescription use and fashion styling.

• NebbOptical frame

  Nebb is a classic Moscot frame that has also served as a platform for limited-edition color collaborations. In 2008, Moscot worked with designer Chris Benz on a restricted release featuring four colors, with 200 examples of each color.

• TerryLimited-edition optical frame2011

  Terry was a limited-edition frame connected with photographer Terry Richardson. The 2011 release was restricted to 350 pairs, illustrating Moscot's practice of using named collaborations and small production runs to connect its core eyewear language with creative personalities.

• GrunyaLimited-edition optical frame2014

  Grunya was developed with Tariq Trotter, the Roots frontman, and released as a limited-edition frame in 2014. The model reflects Moscot's collaboration strategy, which brings musicians and cultural figures into the design and storytelling surrounding its heritage eyewear.

• Justin TherouxOptical frame

  The Justin Theroux frame is named for actor Justin Theroux and is based on eyewear worn by his character in the 2001 film Mulholland Drive. It demonstrates how Moscot has converted screen associations and long-standing customer relationships into named product offerings.

• 2019Miltzen for SFMOMA's Andy Warhol exhibition

  United States

  Moscot created a crystal Miltzen frame with a historical Rose Custom Made Tint for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art exhibition Andy Warhol—From A to B and Back Again.

  Outcome. The project connected a core Moscot silhouette with an institutional art exhibition and Warhol-related cultural programming.

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• 2014Grunya with Tariq Trotter

  United States

  The brand worked with Tariq Trotter of The Roots on the Grunya frame.

  Outcome. The project reinforced Moscot's relationship with musicians and the broader creative community.

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• 2011Terry limited edition

  United States

  Moscot released the Terry frame in collaboration with photographer Terry Richardson, limiting the production to 350 pairs.

  Outcome. The release extended Moscot's creative-personality collaboration model into photography and limited-edition eyewear.

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• 2008Chris Benz x Nebb

  United States

  Moscot partnered with fashion designer Chris Benz on a limited Nebb release in four colors, with only 200 units of each color made.

  Outcome. The collaboration strengthened Moscot's use of restricted color editions and fashion partnerships around established frame designs.

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• 2022Zurich international expansionStrategy

  Moscot had already established stores in several major international cities, including London, Tokyo, and Seoul.

  What changed. The company opened a store in Zurich, Switzerland.

  Aftermath. Zurich became part of Moscot's international retail network; further commercial results were not disclosed in the supplied sources.

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• 2013Retail expansion and historic-store relocationStrategy

  Moscot was developing a wider retail presence while maintaining its association with the Lower East Side.

  What changed. The company moved its long-running Orchard Street shop to 108 Orchard Street and opened a third flagship in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.

  Aftermath. The move preserved a Lower East Side presence and the Brooklyn store extended the brand's heritage-led retail format to another New York neighborhood.

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• 2003Rebrand from Sol Moscot to MoscotStrategy

  Joel Moscot retired after leading the family business for more than five decades, creating a transition point for the fourth generation.

  What changed. The company adopted Moscot as its public brand name and pursued a broader transformation from a neighborhood optical shop into an international eyewear brand.

  Aftermath. The business retained family ownership and its New York heritage while expanding stores, collaborations, and international distribution.

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• 2022Moscot opens a Zurich store

  The family-owned eyewear company expanded its international retail footprint with a store in Zurich, Switzerland.

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• 2013Moscot relocates its historic Orchard Street shop

  Moscot moved from 118 Orchard Street to 108 Orchard Street across Delancey Street, retaining a presence in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

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• 2013Moscot expands to Brooklyn

  The company opened a third flagship store in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill neighborhood, using a facade that recalled its earliest shop.

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• 2003Moscot changes its public name from Sol Moscot to Moscot

  Following Joel Moscot's retirement, the business adopted the shorter Moscot name as part of its transition toward a broader international brand.

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1. Moscot
2. Moscot official website