Horn

Lightweight, hypoallergenic, and steeped in tradition.

A by-product, not a reason

Cubitts horn is sustainably sourced: a natural by-product of domesticated water buffalo herds, bred outdoors in India. No animal is raised or killed for its horn, and nothing about the material depends on that changing.

Each piece is hand selected, then turned, shaped and polished individually. Horn cannot be made to order the way acetate can — you work with the piece you have, and its colour and figure are decided before anyone touches it. Every frame is genuinely one of one.

How it wears

Horn is roughly 40% lighter than acetate, and hypoallergenic.

It is also the only material we use that changes to fit you. Worn regularly, a horn frame slowly takes up the contours of your face, moulded by the warmth of your skin. A pair that felt particular at first tends to feel inevitable after a year.

Looking after it

Like a fine head of hair, horn wants a little more attention than the alternatives. Keep it out of prolonged direct sun and away from radiators, which dry it out. Clean it with a dry cloth rather than water. If it loses its lustre, a trace of neutral oil worked in with a soft cloth will bring it back — or bring the frame to any Cubitts store and we will do it for you.

Treated with care, horn ages better than anything else we make.

Where to find it

Horn is offered as a material on our made-to-measure and bespoke frames, rather than as a stocked range — the nature of the material makes every piece different, so each frame is made around the horn rather than the other way round. Read more about bespoke and made-to-measure, or speak to us in any store.