Wholesale optical buyers and athletic sports brand distributors face a distinct technical challenge: balancing high-velocity impact compliance (ASTM F803 and EN 166) with wide-field peripheral optical correction. Urband International unites over 60 years of optical craftsmanship with patented hinge mechanisms and specialized Swiss TR90 molding to deliver certified, lab-friendly prescription sports glasses engineered for elite athletic performance.
Many sports frame suppliers operate merely as consumer plastic assemblers with minimal optical pedigree. In contrast, Urband International traces its roots back to 1960 Singapore, where our founder, Yang Wah Kiang, mastered the physical science of hand-grinding ophthalmic lenses before co-founding Nanyang Optical. This deep optical lineage ensures every prescription sports frame we mold is engineered from the lens outward.
Our global infrastructure harmonizes European industrial ergonomics from our Douvres-la-Délivrande design studio in France with precision mold production and CNC execution coordinated through our Shenzhen technological campus. Rather than relying on generic off-the-shelf sport chassis, our prescription sports eyewear leverages proprietary base-curve calculations, pantoscopic angle compensation, and dual-retention rim channels that prevent inward lens displacement during facial impacts.
Our bevel grooves feature an engineered 55°/110° asymmetric profile, ensuring automatic edgers (Essilor, Nidek, MEI) seat high-impact polycarbonate and Trivex lenses with zero circumferential stress cracking.
Designed for professional optical retail chains, sports academies, and institutional team supply, our product lines address high-velocity impact, multi-sport versatility, and pediatric athletic vision.
Our flagship adult athletic prescription frame. Features an engineered 6-base cylindrical front carrier that enables optical laboratories to glaze direct powers from +4.00D to -6.50D with high cylinder corrections, avoiding unwanted prismatic displacement.
Built specifically for pediatric and adolescent athletes. Utilizes our patented nylon-string soft-lock hinge system, eliminating metal temple screws completely. When struck by a ball or elbow, the frame flexes laterally without snapping or lacerating delicate facial skin.
Engineered for high-aerodynamic endurance sports. Combines a panoramic 8-base toroidal protective polycarbonate shield with a snap-in TR90 prescription inner adapter, delivering unlimited peripheral wind protection for high-myopia wearers.
Purchasing wholesale sports eyewear without evaluating optical lab integration causes astronomical retail return rates. High-wrap frames natively distort optical focal points unless structural compensation is modeled into the frame chassis.
When an ophthalmic lens with an 8-base curvature is positioned before the eye, it tilts relative to the primary line of sight. This tilt introduces induced cylindrical power (Martin’s Formula for Oblique Astigmatism) and base-out prism. For example, a nominal -4.00D sphere mounted into a standard wrap frame can induce up to 0.45D of unwanted cylinder and 0.8 prism diopters, generating eye strain, dizziness, and depth perception failure during competition.
Urband combats this through our proprietary frame front chassis geometry. Our frames maintain a reduced wrap angle (10° to 12° front plane) across the immediate lens eye-wire, transitioning curvature abruptly into the temporal wrap zones. This enables partner optical labs to run standard free-form digital ray tracing without requiring extreme compensation algorithms that exceed lens blank blank-size diameters.
True sports eyewear is defined not merely by appearance, but by kinetic energy dissipation under violent blunt-force impact. A regulation squash ball travels at over 140 mph, and a baseball strikes with more than 120 Joules of kinetic energy. Standard optical acetate or common polyamides rupture under these stresses, sending razor-sharp frame fragments toward the globe of the eye.
Urband's prescription sports frames feature an internal safety lip on the rear ocular rim. Even when a projectile directly hits the front lens surface, the lens is physically blocked from pushing backward into the wearer's ocular orbit. The impact energy transfers through the Grilamid TR90 frame body and is absorbed across the broad surface area of our Shore 45A soft elastomer nasal saddle and temple cushions.
Reference guide for optical dispensary managers and wholesale inventory buyers.
| Frame Architecture | Base Curve | Standard RX Range | Recommended Lens Material | Target Sports Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| URBAND Direct Glaze Carrier | 6-Base Optic | -6.50D to +4.50D (Cyl -3.00) | Polycarbonate 1.59 / Trivex 1.53 | Basketball, Squash, Soccer, Handball |
| EYELET Soft-Lock Youth | 4 to 6-Base | -8.00D to +5.00D (Cyl -3.50) | High-Impact Polycarbonate 1.59 | Youth PE, Baseball, Lacrosse, Tennis |
| LEAP Aerodynamic Wrap + Clip | 8-Base Shield | -5.50D to +3.00D (Via Inner Clip) | 1.60 / 1.67 High-Index MR-8 (Clip) | Road Cycling, Triathlon, Rowing, Skiing |
| Tactical Industrial Sport Frame | 6-Base Wrap | -6.00D to +4.00D | NXT / Polycarbonate Hard-Coat | Shooting, Motorcycling, High-Speed Work |
Understanding where materials science and digital surfacing are heading allows institutional buyers to procure inventory that remains competitive across multi-year retail cycles.
The global shift toward corporate environmental accountability is eliminating petroleum-only plastics. High-performance bio-polyamides derived from castor beans provide higher tensile strength, lower specific gravity (1.02 g/cm³), and superior chemical resistance to skin oils and sunscreen compared to traditional TR90, without compromising impact durability.
Traditional metal barrels and micro-screws consistently work loose or shear during aggressive sports activities. Modern procurement prioritizes interlocking friction-lock hinges and elastomeric tether joints (like Urband’s patented Active and Screwless Hinge systems) that absorb shock and require zero maintenance or screw adjustments from wearers.
Lens fogging remains the primary complaint among athletic eyewear consumers. Leading manufacturers no longer rely strictly on chemical surface coatings. Modern frames utilize aerodynamic Venturi channels along the top brow and lower orbit rims, funneling warm exhaled moisture out of the ocular cavity through passive pressure differentials.
As global sports safety mandates expand and optical retailers consolidate their supply chains, strategic buyers are adopting newer procurement methodologies to maximize margin and minimize inventory liability.
Educational boards and youth sport governing bodies worldwide are making ASTM F803/EN 166-certified eye protection mandatory in youth leagues. Retailers need certified test documentation attached to their SKU supply chains to prevent legal liability.
Buyers now demand digital tracing datasets (OMA format) directly from frame manufacturers. Providing precise 3D bevel coordinate files allows remote edgers to cut lenses before the patient’s physical frame arrives at the practice, slashing order turnaround.
High prescription return rates often stem from improper optical center alignment on wide athletic frames. Next-generation sourcing targets modular nasal bridges with multi-width asymmetric inserts, allowing a single chassis to fit narrow and broad pupillary distances.
We do not re-box trading company catalog frames. We are an international eyewear design and manufacturing group offering documented quality, award-winning industrial design, and optical precision engineering.
Every prescription sports frame batch manufactured in our production facilities is tested against strict mechanical and optical performance criteria. When you supply our frames to hospitals, optical chains, or sports distributors, you receive exhaustive compliance packages:
Our in-house quality assurance team conducts barrel drop testing, temporal flexural fatigue testing (over 20,000 cycles without yield), and artificial perspiration salt-spray immersion to guarantee zero metal corroding or elastomer breakdown.
Urband has continually proven that protective sports eyewear does not need to appear clunky, crude, or medicalized. Our ergonomic sports profiles have earned honors in prestigious international design competitions, including:
This design prestige translates to tangible retail velocity: your patients and consumers choose our frames willingly for their modern styling, and return for their dependable impact security and lightweight comfort.
Whether sourcing our URBAND PARIS RX Sport series for retail distribution or commissioning custom OEM sports frames for private label development.
Review target athlete demographics, power distribution parameters, and compliance needs with our optical technical team.
Evaluate master sample kits for hand feel, nasal saddle weight distribution, lab glazing fitment, and strap interchangeability.
We provide OMA lens tracing files and sample blanks so your partner optical labs can glaze trial prescriptions with zero surprises.
Tooling and injection run with 100% optical groove verification, laser logo branding, and custom packaging integration.
Shipment release accompanied by traceable batch test certs, CE Declaration of Conformity, and seamless international logistics.
Direct technical answers addressing the operational, optical, and regulatory inquiries commonly raised by procurement managers and B2B buyers.
High-wrap sports frames introduce unwanted oblique astigmatism and base-out prismatic power when conventional flat lens curves are glazed into curved rims. Urband minimizes this through our proprietary front carrier architecture. Our chassis limits face-form dihedral angles across the primary eye-wire while providing targeted wrap at the temple transition. Furthermore, we provide free-form calculation parameters (vertex distance: 12mm, pantoscopic tilt: 9°, wrap angle: 12°) enabling digital surfacing software to calculate compensated prescription matrices across cylinders up to -4.00D.
Under ASTM F803, frames mounted with 3.0mm polycarbonate plano lenses undergo high-velocity projectile testing across sports-specific ball profiles (e.g., 90 mph baseballs, 40–60 mph squash balls) mounted on certified anthropomorphic headforms. Acceptance requires zero lens dislocation rearward toward the ocular globe, no structural fracture into sharp pieces, and zero contact between lens and ocular eye area. In Europe, EN 166 Clause 7.2.2 high-speed particle testing confirms Grade B (medium energy 120 m/s impact) or Grade F protection using steel ball projectiles.
Direct glazing yields significantly higher customer satisfaction because it provides an uncompromised field of view, avoids the double-reflection glare of dual-lens layers, eliminates inner-lens moisture trapping, and reduces frame weight by 30%. It generates higher gross margins for optical practices. However, RX clip-in adapters remain valuable for extreme high-myopia prescriptions (above -7.00D) that cannot be safely edged into wrap bevels, and for multi-sport environments requiring rapid lens tint changes.
Urband utilizes virgin Swiss EMS Grilamid TR90 homopolyamide blended with targeted impact modifiers. This polymer exhibits exceptionally high flexural fatigue strength, zero moisture absorption embrittlement, and rapid elastic recovery under blunt forces. For high-contact impact zones (the bridge and temporal cheekbones), we co-mold high-resilience thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) with Shore hardness of 40A to 50A to absorb and dissipate kinetic shock waves away from facial bones.
For existing proprietary catalog collections (URBAND PARIS RX Sport and EYELET Active Guard), wholesale orders begin at 100 to 300 units with mixed colorway capability and prompt dispatch from our Shenzhen facility. For dedicated OEM/ODM tooling programs requiring custom dimensions or proprietary hinge developments, 3D functional prototypes are delivered in 10 working days, CNC steel molds are completed in 35 to 45 days, and full initial production runs commence with an MOQ of 600 to 1,200 units.
Yes. A single wholesale purchasing account with Urband International grants consolidated ordering privileges across our complete brand ecosystem: URBAND PARIS (RX sports and active optical), EYELET (flexible pediatric and youth sports), GLOSSI (fashion eyewear), and COUPLE (reading optics). This simplifies import customs documentation, optimizes consolidated freight shipping, and lowers your operational overhead.
