MOSCOT FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHEN WAS MOSCOT FOUNDED?
Our great grandpa and family patriarch Hyman Moscot first planted the MOSCOT optical
roots in America when he emigrated from Eastern Europe via Ellis Island in 1899 and began
selling ready-made eyeglasses from his pushcart on Orchard Street on Manhattan's famed
Lower East Side. By 1915, having amassed a loyal following of customers, Hyman opened our
first retail shop, MOSCOT’s at 94 Rivington Street.
In 1925, Hyman’s son, Sol, joined the family business at the tender age of only 15, to help take
over the reigns. By 1936, MOSCOT was settled at 118 Orchard Street on the corner of Delancey
Street, which would remain our home for the next eight decades (until we moved our Shop
across the street to the other corner of Orchard and Delancey, where we remain today).
In 1951, Sol’s son, Joel, began presiding over the “House of MOSCOT.” Charming, dedicated,
and devoted to his customers, Joel quickly made his mark—overseeing the Shop and
conveying the family’s values to his sons, Harvey and Kenny who would enter the family
business in 1986 and 1992, respectively, as the fourth generation of Moscots to take the helm
And in March 2013, nearly 100 years after his great great grandfather founded MOSCOT,
Harvey’s son Zachary came on board, marking the fifth generation of Moscots to join the
family business.
WHERE WAS MOSCOT FOUNDED?
MOSCOT is a New York City institution. We were born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in
1899 when Great Grandpa and family patriarch Hyman Moscot began selling ready-made
eyeglasses from his wooden pushcart on Orchard Street. One hundred years and five
generations later, we can still be found on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. We’ve taken
great care to preserve our history and heritage in our three New York City Shops and it shows:
the counter and showcases at MOSCOT Orchard Street were purchased by second generation
Sol Moscot in the 1940s; fans still cop a squat in the Thrones of MOSCOT (our wooden peg
and groove chairs) purchased in 1938; and each Shop is chock full of tchotchkes and vintage
photographs amassed over time by each generation of MOSCOT.
WHAT SETS MOSCOT APART FROM OTHER EYEWEAR BRANDS?
MOSCOT is history. MOSCOT is New York. MOSCOT is an immigrant story that started in 1899
and through generations of hard work, the Company has evolved into what it is today. With
our heritage, and over 100 years of retail and optical expertise, we continue to focus on the
customer experience and quality of our product. Every MOSCOT frame is carefully crafted
with 100 years of optical experience and a heritage built on generations of love for eyewear.
As we like to say, if it’s not a MOSCOT, it’s not an Original!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHERE IS MOSCOT EYEWEAR MANUFACTURED?
MOSCOT Eyewear is designed and prototyped in our New York City office, and then
handmade and assembled in our factories in China and South Korea in accordance with our
rigorous standards of quality and excellence. Every MOSCOT frame is then quality controlled
in our New York City Shop’s labs before being shipped to customers worldwide. MOSCOT
Eyewear is made using Italian acetate and only the finest hardware components.
HOW ARE YOUR FRAMES MADE?
Handcrafting our frames is a labor of love…and more than 20 perfectly executed steps
performed in our New York City office and labs, and in our own factory abroad. From
in-house frame design (inspired by our family archives) to final quality control testing, here’s
a peak into how each and every MOSCOT frame is born:
Frame design starts at our MOSCOT 14th Street Shop creative space, where hand
drawings, 3D drawings, and 3D printed models are produced.
Next, color proposals begin—a selection of raw acetate materials and/or metal materials
are chosen from our pegboard, where we keep a large selection of acetate chips/samples.
Formal prototypes are then made, fully evaluated, and inspected by our lab technicians.
They are tested for durability and manufacturing quality. We further ensure the facial
fitting characteristics of each prototype are perfect.
We assess complexity of frame design and determine proper tooling to be utilized for
final production.
Then, we order the highest quality parts, such as our real hinges, rivets, screws, and wire
core.
Finally, we’re in production! Each MOSCOT frame is handmade, in tooling and cutting.
Each MOSCOT frame gets inspected for the sturdiest construction.
Frames are tumble-polished in high quality wood chips for several days to ensure soft
edges.
Temple stamping and demonstration lenses with the MOSCOT logo are inserted.
Finally, each MOSCOT frame is adjusted, cleaned, and inspected in our New York City labs
before they are packaged and shipped to you!