Wayfarer Sunglasses Custom Production Guide

If you stock one sunglasses shape, make it the wayfarer — the most recognisable and reliably bestselling frame in the world. Producing it well means choosing the right frame material and color process. Here is the complete custom production guide.

Why the wayfarer is the safest stock

The wayfarer’s bold trapezoidal frame suits almost every face and never goes out of style. It works in endless colors and finishes, sells across price points, and carries low fashion risk — the foundation of any range. See our wayfarer sunglasses page.

Acetate vs injection construction

Injection: the value route

Polycarbonate or TR90 injection molding produces wayfarers fast and cheap, ideal for value retail and promo. TR90 adds flexibility and durability. See materials in our sourcing guides.

Acetate: the premium route

Acetate wayfarers are cut from sheet, tumble-polished and assembled, giving rich, deep color and a substantial premium feel. They justify higher retail prices and suit fashion and optical channels.

Color and finish options

• Classic black, tortoise, crystal/translucent
• Custom Pantone color injection
• Matte or gloss finish
• Two-tone and gradient acetate
• Gradient, mirror or polarized lenses

Custom branding

The wayfarer’s wide temples are ideal for branding — pad print, laser engraving, metal logo plate or custom temple color. See our manufacturing capabilities.

No single frame gives you more sell-through per dollar of risk than a well-made wayfarer. It is the default for a reason.

MOQ, pricing and lead time

From our 50-pair MOQ: injection wayfarers from ~$2.60/pair at volume, acetate higher. Sampling 7–10 days, production 25–35 days. Acetate takes longer due to cutting and polishing — see lead times in our sourcing guides.

How LumiShades produces wayfarers

We make wayfarers in injection, acetate and bio-acetate with custom colors, lens options and in-house branding. Model options with our free buyer tools.

Buyer takeaways

Choose injection for value or acetate for premium, exploit the wide temples for branding, and stock it deep. request a quote to develop your wayfarer. Related: square sunglasses and cat-eye sunglasses.

Why source this from Wenzhou with LumiShades

Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province is widely regarded as China’s eyewear manufacturing capital, producing a large share of the world’s sunglasses. That concentration matters to buyers: a deep local supply chain for acetate sheet, hinges, lens blanks, plating and packaging means shorter component lead times, easier color and material matching, and a workforce with decades of eyewear-specific skill. LumiShades has manufactured in this ecosystem since 2009, and our vertical integration — in-house injection molding, acetate cutting, CNC milling, lens tinting, decoration and quality control — means no part of custom wayfarer sunglasses is quietly subcontracted to a workshop you cannot audit.

For international buyers, that vertical control translates into accountability. When a single factory owns every step, defects are traced and fixed at source rather than bounced between vendors, and your specifications survive intact from first sample to bulk. We back this with 15+ years of experience, shipments to 60+ countries, more than 5 million pairs produced per year and a 98.5% on-time delivery rate. Our certifications — CE EN ISO 12312-1, FDA registration, ANSI Z80.3, AS/NZS 1067, REACH, ISO 9001 and BSCI audit — mean the compliance documentation your market requires already exists. Explore our manufacturing capabilities and quality control process to see how this works in practice.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum order quantity? Our MOQ is 50 pairs per design, which lets new brands and buyers validate custom wayfarer sunglasses before committing to volume. Pricing improves at 300, 1,000 and 5,000+ pairs, dropping as low as $2.10 per pair on volume programs.

How long does it take? Samples are ready in 7–10 days and bulk production runs 25–35 days, plus QC, packing and shipping. Using an existing frame shape avoids new tooling and is the fastest route; fully custom moulds and acetate builds add time.

Can you handle custom branding and compliance documentation? Yes. We decorate in-house (laser engraving, pad printing, metal logo plates, custom temple colors and packaging) and provide the UV, impact and standard-specific test reports your destination markets require. Tell us your target countries up front and we build the right documentation into the order.