For thirteen years, Banton Loch was our backdrop.
A nearby place for thinking. Inspiration. Endless walks during Covid. Soul searching. Yea, many life plans were discussed strolling around that water.
For a brief while, the loch hosted a 'cold water therapy business' that, to me, resembled a 6AM hen party. Thank god that's finished. Oh, and there was even a bomb-scare on the reservoir bridge one summer where the Police deployed one of those remote controlled robots to check if there was any risk of an explosion. Wild.
Regardless of the activity at Banton Loch, swans would always come and go — a small reminder that nothing stays still forever.
As we prepared to move from our first workshop (March 2025) to our new studio in Glasgow, we wanted to make something to mark moment. Something small, but meaningful.
That’s how this lens cloth began.
The idea was to create a design that captured the feeling of moving on, while acknowledging the place that shaped so much of our journey. A swan felt like a fitting symbol — graceful, familiar, and always in motion.
Rather than depicting it literally, I opted for a geometric style that’s become a quiet part of our visual language. Fragmented forms, intersecting planes and light that shifts like reflections on water. (Or acetate for that matter.)
The result is a two-sided artwork.
On the front, the swan rests on still water. On the back, it takes flight. A simple story of calm and movement, both part of the same place. If you've ever heard swans flying overhead, it's quite an unusual sound. A sort of rhythmic humming that, apparently, can be heard a mile away.
Rendered in deep blue and amber tones, the artwork carries the warmth of dusk — a nod to those late evenings in the workshop, when the loch would glow gold before nightfall. I'll never forget those beautiful scenes.
The cloth itself follows our usual approach to materials: oversized, heavyweight and made to last. At 280mm square, it's far easier to handle than those tiny 'token napkins' you've might've experienced in the past. Made from 220gsm microfibre, it's a ceremonious way to keep your lenses nice and clean.
You’ll find this new lens cloth inside every pair of handmade glasses from early 2026. A small reminder of where it all began — and how far we’ve come.
Thanks for reading.
Lucy & Jamie, the makers x
