ENGLISH VERSION - A Conversation with Toshiaki Yamagishi

This is not an interview about eyewear. It is a conversation about time, craftsmanship, and why some things never need to raise their voice to be heard. We meet Toshiaki Yamagishi — founder of YELLOWS PLUS — in a quiet conversation about childhood, millimeters, and the beauty of things that simply feel right.

On childhood, craftsmanship – and why some glasses simply feel right

We sit across from each other at a table.
No formal introductions. No grand opening statements. Just a calm presence that settles in quickly. Conversations often begin this way when nothing needs to be proven.

YELLOWS PLUS is that kind of brand.
It doesn’t raise its voice. It waits to be discovered.

That may be why people tend to stay with it longer.

Fukui, from the beginning

When Toshiaki talks about his upbringing, it sounds less like a background story and more like a memory. He grew up in Fukui, Japan’s center for eyewear craftsmanship, in a home where the family eyewear business and workshop were part of everyday life.

As a child, he played among the craftsmen. Scraps of plastic became toys. Work continued around him—methodical, precise, quiet. He watched how tiny adjustments changed everything. How form and function were never separate.

Each frame is adjusted by hand by craftsmen who, in many cases, have worked with eyewear for decades.

At the same time, his family imported eyewear from Europe and the United States. Different expressions, styles, and proportions passed through his field of vision every day. Without realizing it, an internal archive began to form—not of trends, but of understanding.

“I didn’t consciously study design,” he says. “It simply became part of me.”

More than vision

When we ask what eyeglasses mean to him personally, he answers without hesitation.

It’s about joy.
About encounters.

Seeing the reaction of someone who has found the right pair—and letting that joy become his own motivation. For Toshiaki, eyewear is not an object. It is a connection. A way of meeting people.

For the wearer, it often means something else: eyewear that works for everything—work, leisure, everyday life, special occasions—without ever feeling wrong.

That realization became clear when he himself began working as a salesperson in the family business.

“I couldn’t recommend a single pair,” he says. “Not to customers. Not to friends.”

Even then, the shapes were already in his mind. A sense that something was missing. That was where YELLOWS PLUS took shape—not as a branding exercise, but as a need for honesty.

Relaxing Classic

The philosophy of YELLOWS PLUS is often summarized in two words: Relaxing Classic. When he explains them, it’s clear this has nothing to do with nostalgia.

It’s about things that last.
That age well.
That don’t demand attention, but deserve it.

“I want someone to look back ten years later and think: this was a good choice.”

The glasses are not meant to change the wearer. They are not meant to take over. They are meant to follow.

“They should elegantly enhance the individual,” he says.

If he has to put into words what the brand stands for, he leans back and says:

“Pure and beautiful.”

A DNA you can feel

We talk about DNA. About how you recognize a pair of YELLOWS PLUS without logos or obvious signals.

The answer is consistent: balance, comfort, function.

Nothing is exaggerated. Nothing exists just to be seen. Everything is made by people who understand what eyewear truly is—and how it is used, every day.

And once again, we arrive at the details that are barely visible.

“One millimeter. One degree,” he says. “That’s often where everything is decided.”

That’s why they don’t shout in the hand—but feel right on the face.

It is the sum of small, almost invisible adjustments that creates the feeling people struggle to describe:
this feels right.

Where everything is decided

The most demanding moment in his process is not the first sketch. It is when the design must be scaled down to its final size.

“When you reduce a form, the style often breaks.”

Repairing the balance, finding the right proportions without losing the soul—that is where YELLOWS PLUS is truly born. It is slow. Demanding. And absolutely decisive.

When we ask about innovation, he almost dismisses the word.

“I have great respect for tradition,” he says. “I’m simply grateful to be part of this craft.”

When the world responded

The international breakthrough came early. In 2004, at a trade show in Hong Kong.

“We received inquiries from Europe and the United States. That’s when I realized the expression worked beyond Japan.”

Trends, however, he views with caution.

“After every trend comes obsolescence.”

That’s why YELLOWS PLUS never feels dated—but never tries to be aggressively current either.

When we ask what he is most proud of right now, his answer is unexpected—not a collection, but a car.

A 1969 Mini Traveller.

It’s cramped. Not particularly comfortable. But deeply loved.
And that, he says, is the power of design that survives time.

Stockholm

The connection with Bågar & Glas began intuitively. He had only seen the store online.

“But I immediately felt it was right.”

He sent an invitation to MIDO. Just before the final day ended, the former owner appeared—invitation in hand.

“It was a very special moment for us.”

When asked how Japanese tradition meets Scandinavian aesthetics, he answers thoughtfully:

“A design that stands firmly—and quietly follows you through life.”

A final piece of advice

Before we part, we ask what he would say to someone trying YELLOWS PLUS for the first time.

He doesn’t hesitate.

“If you are looking for eyewear that lasts over time—choose YELLOWS PLUS.”

These are not glasses you replace often.
They are glasses you stay with.

Discover YELLOWS PLUS at Bågar & Glas
In our stores in Gamla Stan and City.
For those who appreciate craftsmanship, quiet precision, and design that still feels right ten years from now.