June 2012

Refined design from Belgium

26th June 2012 I have been following the Belgian Michel Henau brand for a while now, but this is the first time we have had pictures of the frames to be able to talk about them. Headed today by optician Marc Delagrange, the Collection has an interesting modern design style. The frames are  described as being “full of contemporary purity and refinement, made from materials and colours which re-enforce the simplicity of the shapes.” There are classic acetates (picture above) and a variety of more creative and unexpected shapes which have always drawn our attention when we have seen them at the trade shows….they include the long, quite narrow M4 and the M7 with open arm design. Emphasis is on traditional handmade production and timeless design with its own clear identity. To see the full line of around 80 spectacles and sunglasses from this European label, visit www.michelhenau.com CN

Pinxo from Michel Henau

Mark Tungate Explores The Luxury World

22nd June 2012 Author, conference speaker and journalist, Tungate is the author of the acclaimed Luxury World: The Past, Present and Future of Luxury Brands (Kogan Page) and shares his Luxury concepts with Eyestylist.

What does luxury mean to you? “The word “luxury” is used so often to market overpriced goods that it has almost lost its meaning. But in terms of goods and services, luxury is usually a product that exists in a basic form – whether it’s a watch, a car or a bar of chocolate – raised to the highest extremes of quality and refinement. We’ve all experienced the standard version, but we can appreciate and admire the ultimate expression of the same idea: the Romanée Conti or the Rolls Royce. Having said that, luxury could also mean a day at the beach or an afternoon at the movies when you should be at work. Luxury is an escape from the daily grind of reality”.

What does luxury mean in the current economic climate?  ”Luxury weathers recessions quite well – mainly because the super-rich always stay comparatively super-rich. The luxury industry has also proved skilled at going where the money is, switching its marketing focus to the emerging economies of Asia while Europe suffers. You may have noticed that luxury brands have changed the message of their advertising from glamour – a surfeit of celebrities with handbags – to one of authenticity and craftsmanship. Having been forced to turn themselves into fashion brands to boost their profits, they’re now trying to convince us that they’re about quality and longevity after all.”

What luxury items do you own? “Well, my JLC spectacles are genuine buffalo horn, so I suppose that counts. I’m also a great believer in buying good shoes: I have three pairs from J.M. Weston, a couple from Church and one pair from Edward Green, which appear to be indestructible. And right now I’ve got my eye on a Pierre Paulin desk from Ligne Roset. I think I deserve a nice desk.”

What luxuries can’t you do without? “I hate ironing and find it too time consuming, so I love getting my shirts pressed. I’ll also pay over the odds for a haircut. Not just for the cut, but for the cup of coffee and the good-looking staff. I go to a place called Edge near Place Madeleine here in Paris.” www.tungateinparis.com JG

Photo: Géraldine Dormoy-Tungate www.cafémode.fr

Shane Baum at Leisure Society Discusses Luxury

How do you define Luxury? “Luxury is the act of feeling good about something, and whether it’s an object, a time – there can be a variety of luxuries in life – and they are all based upon really feeling good about something”.

What elements are most important when designing Luxury eyewear? “With eyewear, there’s always states of economy involved with whether you can create something or not. When building luxury eyewear, you have an open palette to paint with more colours, more exotic materials, more intricate designs, more labour and everything else. So eyewear becomes luxuruious when your palette of ingredients to design with becomes greater.”

Where do you find inspiration? “At the end of the day, eyewear is simply a product, and products are influenced by a variety of capacities. Whether it’s an heirloom piece from a chalice at a castle in Scotland, or a beautiful chair with beautiful lines, there’s a certain aesthetic. There is wrong or right to it because the public will vote and look at something and say:  ’are these lines in the right place?’ The relation of those eyes to the human eye defines the most beautiful pieces of any luxury product. For me it’s all product design and architecture, so that can be as simple as beautiful heirloom pieces from Europe that are vases, candelabras, door handles, anything that is made from a pliable object and molded, is inspiration from my viewpoint.”

Pfeiffer - Luxurious crafting by Shane Baum at Leisure Society

Do you have any special ‘luxuries’ you cannot live without? “Well, you could live without any of them, but life without luxuries isn’t really worth living, is it? (he says with a chuckle).  You know, my children are a real luxury, and I could not live without them. Everything else I feel thankful to have. I think in general luxury comes down to both quality ingredients, but also a lot of hard work. When you look at the great artists and what it took for them to make paintings, sculptures, or masterpieces of their eras, these are not things that were done in fifteen minutes or copied from anyone else. This was true artisanal craftsmanship and a dedication to an art form and a craft – with a lot of heart, time, effort and talent. When you think about eyewear design, it’s people with the extra inspiration that push all of us forward, and take this from a medical device that you wear on your face, to an art form that can be cherished from generation to generation.” www.leisure-society.com JG