NEW YORK—JINS Eyewear, the eyewear brand and retailer which operates 546 stores throughout Asia, including five in the U.S., has opened its first shop on the East Coast via a pop-up shop inside the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Soho location. The pop-up, which opened last week and will remain open through Aug. 4th, is located on Soho's Spring Street and will offer frames designed by renowned industrial designers and architects from around the world. The selection of JINS frames sold at MoMA Design Store will be collections from the Design Project which showcase each designer’s core inspirations and unique ideas. At MoMA Design Store, JINS will be launching the fourth installment of the JINS Design Project with Italian industrial designer Alberto Meda. In the past, JINS has collaborated with notable designers including Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic, Michele De Lucchi since 2018 to create each unique collection.

A JINS spokesperson told VMAIL that the company is evaluating the success of the Soho pop-up with an eye toward expanding its presence on the East Coast, but has not yet determined its next steps.

The pop-up at MoMA Design Store is JINS’ first East Coast location, and JINS will deliver onsite prescription glasses in less than 30 minutes to customers in New York. Adding an interactive aspect to the pop-up, the opening also marks the U.S. debut of the “Brain Mirror,” an AI interface app mirror that helps customers evaluate which frames are best suited to their face. Customers can select and wear any frame of their choice and stand in front of the Brain Mirror, which will show a score from 1 to 100.



The Brain Mirror, already available at JINS stores in Tokyo, has already received much media attention in Japan. JINS and the MoMA Design Store collaborated with One Grand Books, a bookstore which celebrates writers, artists, and other creative minds who share ten books of their choice. The industrial designers from the JINS Design Project, including De Lucchi and Meda, have hand-picked ten books — as well as cultural innovators including Tilda Swinton, Kehinde Wiley, Questlove, Alice Waters, Richard Serra and many more, all showcased and sold at MoMA Design Store, Soho.

Emmanuel Plat, Director of Merchandising, for MoMA Design Store said, “A Pop-Up with JINS Design Project was a natural fit for MoMA Design Store. Three of the Design Project designers are in MoMA’s collection, and JINS’ dedication to good design at democratic price points is in line with what MoMA Design Store champions.” He continued by saying, “we are excited to be working with JINS to launch their first east coast presence and introduce the new Alberto Meda collection.”

Mario Arai, President of JINS Eyewear US, added, “We are extremely fortunate to work together with MoMA Design Store, Soho to launch our first JINS store location in the east coast. We’re looking forward to bringing the best shopping experience to New York customers.”

JINS is a Japanese eyewear brand founded in 2001. As of March 2019, the company said it has 546 retail store locations globally in Japan, China, Taiwan, Philippines, and Hong Kong, including 5 U.S. stores, in San Francisco Bay Area: Union Square, San Jose, and in Los Angeles: Sherman Oaks, Arcadia, and Torrance. At JINS, customers can receive their prescription glasses in less than 30 minutes and select from over 1,200 styles all designed in Tokyo. Prices of frames start at $60, which include single-vision high index lenses and standard UV and anti-glare coatings.