Creative Shane Baum sees inspiration in every bit of his life. ”If design is just an opinion, your opinions are based on your experiences in life. And if life’s just a series of memories, literally everything that you do, you’re taking in things and making them part of your opinion,” he explains of his design philosophy.

The founder of luxury eyewear brand Leisure Society, Baum approaches his craft on his own terms. “You can always make something fresh again,” he says, speaking about a category that is a medical device but also a modern piece of style and fashion. ”That’s my thing — just to keep myself motivated by having classic shapes that have been reinvented to look fresh and excite people.”

Excite people he does with his frames that can cost up to $15,000 with a focus on craft and luxury materials. Each style is handcrafted in Japan out of pure 12-, 18- or 24-karat gold-plated titanium. “I always say that we’re classically inspired, but we’re using the world’s highest technology,” the designer and CFDA member explains.

The Japanese artisans that he employs have made frames for more than a century. “It’s one of those places that embrace both technology and techniques, so a lot of the classical things haven’t been lost over time,” he says of the region.

Baum says that because the level of craft in his pieces, Leisure Society is “opening parameters that other companies don’t have, because it’s so costly and difficult to manufacture.” His creative team designs in 3D, so each part of the frame has design nuances. “If you look from the top of our glasses, there’s designs. For example, we’re able to put textures on the bridge. You couldn’t do this out of any other material, unless it was titanium.”

Baum has quite a pedigree, having worked with Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton to help create eyewear for the brand at time when luxury eyewear as high fashion was still in the early stages.

“He’s very calm in his approach to design. It was just like running into another eyewear designer. He knew all the vintage brands, you know, that were revered. He knew about vintage Dior frames, Carrera and Vuarnet,” he says of Jacobs.

Baum’s frames take about nine months to a year to create, and the company manufactures 100 to 150 frames per style, per color. When those are gone, they are gone. Nothing is repeated. Unless, of course, you have access to his vault program, which sees him bring back a few left over styles from his years of design as collectables.

“If you’re going to start to collect eyewear, I’d find a brand or two that that you really love and do some research,” says Baum, sharing his advice to customers looking to build a stable of frames. “Buy quality.”

He recommends working with an expert when looking for eyewear “because there’s so many incredible opticians in the world.” And he is always considering what eyewear might look like for faces he hasn’t fit — yet. “I never did formal training but having my hands on frames for 20-plus years, I know my way around adjustments face and shapes and sizes,” he says.

Next up is a new rare buffalo horn frame. Only five pairs are being made and due to the uniqueness of the material, each will be one of one.

But be prepared: each pair will cost a cool $15,000.