Today we’d like to introduce you to Maureen Ryza.
Hi Maureen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
AZYR Specs! My baby. I’m actually writing this as I sit on a train to Barcelona. Fitting, because my favorite part of the year is when I travel for the business. Sourcing. Meeting people. Finding treasure. That’s the heartbeat of AZYR Specs.
My mission is rooted in sustainability and reducing waste. But the story? It starts way before eyewear.
Once upon a time, I was just Maureen—a college student at University of Missouri studying Sports Broadcast Journalism with dreams of being a sideline football reporter. One fated day in Berlin during my study abroad, I saw a man playing his music under a bridge with out-of-this-world talent. If he wanted the fame, he could have it. But he was just playing for the pure love of it—happy, content. Not chasing, just living.
That was it, my life shifted. I didn’t want to just tell stories anymore. I wanted to create them.
Fast forward. Graduation. I move to New York with savings, two bags, and two boxes waiting to be mailed upon finding my NYC apartment. One labeled “Donate,” one labeled “Maureen’s Clothes.” My mom accidentally swapped them. All my favorite clothes? Gone. What arrived instead? The box of stuff I’d already said goodbye to. Naturally, I had to pivot. I grabbed the emergency sewing kit a friend had given me, chopped up a corduroy skirt I couldn’t look at anymore, and stitched it onto my denim jacket.
To my surprise—people loved it. I received compliments in the subway station. Haha, I started penny-pinching, going to L Train Vintage, using scraps from my Goodwill rejects, and saving for a sewing machine. A deep desire, but not a necessity. And then… BOOM! A sewing machine shows up in my Brooklyn apartment lobby with a note: “Someone use this!” The rest is history.
Soon I was staying up all night sewing, working my advertising internship by day, posting my creations to my little IG of 400 followers. Out of nowhere, I was invited to showcase in a fashion show in Chelsea—if I could sell enough tickets (which I did). I had never experienced being proud of myself like that. That show connected me to stylists, which led to working in costume design on TV and film sets. And that’s when the real lightbulb moment came.
It was Fall 2022, on the set of Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game, a movie based in 1975 in which I was working on the Costume team. After I dressed the characters, they came back from props wearing glasses. Of course, vintage frames matching the decade. Their whole personas ELEVATED.
Simply put, I wanted my own pair. But these old frames were all prescription. And that’s when I realized… I could change the lenses?
4 pairs from Ebay, a test shoot with my friends & a sale on Vestiaire collective, AZYR Specs was born months later.
Three and a half years later, 1,300 frames sold, collectors around the world, and a growing community that sees eyewear not just as necessity, but as artistry, sustainability, and confidence.
That little spark under a Berlin bridge is still alive in every single frame.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all smooth—it’s been a rollercoaster. In the early days, I tried to do everything myself, which quickly showed me how unsustainable that was. Learning when and how to build the right support system has been one of the most valuable lessons along the way.
I also invested heavily in pop-ups rather than refining the online side of the business. While costly, those experiences provided invaluable real-time data: what people gravitate toward instantly, what they overlook, and how customers interact with frames in person. Those consumer insights continue to shape our direction today.
Other challenges have included the less glamorous but critical parts of running a business: trademarking, legality, bookkeeping, time management, learning to be a good boss, and saying “no” to opportunities that weren’t aligned with our vision, even if it meant missing a few sales. At times, it’s been difficult shifting from a purely creative mind into a business mindset—and battling my own self-limiting beliefs. Pursuing an MBA this past June has been a turning point, giving me tools and perspective that have already benefited the business immensely.
That said, the good has far outweighed the bad. As the brand grows, it has attracted incredible collaborators—artists, musicians, photographers, and models—who share our passion. AZYR Specs has become a conduit for creativity, a way of bringing people together through a vintage lens. Quite literally.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about AZYR Specs?
AZYR Specs is a vintage eyewear brand based in New York City, proudly women-owned and now three and a half years in business.
We specialize in sourcing rare vintage frames from collectors around the world and giving them new life with custom lenses through our trusted NYC optician and lab. We offer prescription lenses, custom tints, and bespoke color options, allowing each pair to become as individual as the person wearing them. What we’re most known for is pairing people with the frame that best complements them—turning the act of wearing glasses into something people genuinely look forward to.
Through international trade shows and global sourcing trips, we’ve connected with family-owned businesses who share our mission. The reality is, millions of glasses already exist—untouched pieces of art waiting to be worn again. Just as fashion designers release seasonal collections, so too have eyewear designers for decades. But when mainstream brands like Ray-Ban introduce new styles each season, what happens to all the unsold frames? They don’t just disappear—they’re left behind.
Beyond the mainstream, we uncover treasures from true artisans: 1960s Space Age frames designed to turn heads, frames crafted from rare materials like real tortoiseshell before it was banned in 1977, and countless examples of ingenuity in materials, shapes, and colors. Eyewear holds a rich history, and we couldn’t be more dedicated to preserving it and sharing it with the world.
What sets AZYR Specs apart is that we’re not just selling glasses—we’re honoring the artistry of the past, reducing waste, educating our community, and boosting confidence at the same time. And in October, we’re opening our first New York showroom, where people can experience the full collection, explore custom services, and discover the stories behind the frames in person.
What matters most to you? Why?
Leaving the world a better place.
Since I was young, the one constant in my life has been a desire to make meaningful change. On a big level. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe—these are names that often come to mind when I think about vision, resilience, and impact.
The world is vast, yet it can feel small when you see how quickly ideas spread. Tiny shifts can spark integral movements. My small project turned business has already connected me with people across the globe who share a love for vintage eyewear. They’re passionate, they see the vision, and together we’re building something bigger than ourselves.
Eyewear touches everyone—those who need glasses to see, those who rely on sunglasses to protect their eyes. It transcends geography, class, gender, and race. Strip away fashion and style, and eyewear is a necessity of survival. That universality is powerful.
While costume design was fun, I now feel I’m contributing to something deeper: turning a necessity into an opportunity to reduce waste and complement the health of our environment. What matters most is not just designing another product, but reshaping how people see sustainability and style.
Just as important are the human connections. Traveling is my favorite part—meeting people, hearing their stories, and weaving those into the work. AZYR Specs isn’t a fast-fashion brand. It’s the vision of a 30-year-old woman reaching beyond her comfort zone to connect with others and create real, lasting impact.