How amateur glasses maker behind Cubitts went from near collapse to making specs for Madonna

Broughton drew the first glasses designs on a piece of square graph paper, with a ruler and pencil.

(Picture: Tom Broughton)

Of all the sectors ripe for online disruption, glasses weren’t an obvious contender. It’s nice to try them on — harder to do that with internet shopping — and London’s couriers aren’t known for treating parcels gently. 

But an online glasses business is what Tom Broughton started in 2013, and the success of his Cubitts business — which he’s branded as a “modern spectacle maker” — is clear: its website has now been joined by 12 busy stores and turnover is set to hit £10 million this year.