Eyestylist

Lafont Paris: eco-responsible, creative design

24th November 2022

The French company has developed new eco-responsible designs in their collections for Spring/Summer 2023 – Eyestylist met with Thomas and Matthieu in Paris

At Lafont Paris, a steadfast ‘step-by-step’ approach to the development of a genuine responsible sustainable path has involved the introduction of bio-acetate and an experimental material concept for colourful Limited Edition “upcycled” acetates.

The ‘creative upcycling’ has been explored as a completely new way to design exclusive colours, first launched by the company at Silmo in 2021 (see: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/11/creative-upcycling-lafont-paris-and-inouie/). “This is based on a blend of Lafont’s exclusive vintage Lafont colours”, explains Matthieu Lafont. “Developed by my brother, Thomas, this concept can also be seen as a ‘colour lab’. We use a thermo fusion process to create a mix of 50% vintage colour and 50% new bio material. This specific technique is for the moment only produced in special limited quantities.”

At Silmo 2022, Lafont Paris introduced the third series Limited Edition with model Monaco in four exclusive “upcycled colours” of red, pink, blue and yellow (pictured below, the Monaco in yellow and full set in presentation box). Above: Matthieu and Thomas Lafont – Silmo Paris 2022 – photography by Amanda Sellem, all rights reserved

TVR advert 2021 linked to the TVR website

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“A desire for balance: new products shown in bright colours with a creative spirit, alongside an offer with a sober and elegant identity faithful to the Lafont identity. To work on my palette of colours, I wanted to associate a word, an emotion, an expression with each colour…” Thomas Lafont on the new collection for Spring/Summer 2023

Thomas Lafont at Silmo 2022 – photography by Amanda Sellem

Eco-friendly styles: Max in the Issy & LA collection at Lafont Paris – and above, model Miss in bright pink

“Reducing our impact on the environment as a company is a very important goal,” said Matthieu Lafont at Silmo Paris. “To make it a reality, we have introduced a step-by-step approach.

Matthieu Lafont – Silmo 2022 – photo by Amanda Sellem

Considering the everyday activities of the company and the design and production of the collection, we are repurposing and recycling, and using bio-acetate or castor oil injected materials. We always consider the quality of our manufacture, efficiency in after sales and availability of spare parts for repair.” Find out more about the collections at Lafont Paris by visiting their website at www.lafont.com

Reviews

Eyewear trend: TVR 532 round glasses

22nd November 2022

A stunning rendition of the round classic frame – made in Japan

TVR® OPT has revisited the stylish allure of small round glasses that dated back to the 1920s for its latest TVR®532 Classic Circular collection, released this Autumn / Winter 2022 in celebration of the brand’s 10th Anniversary. A popular shape in the early 20th Century, round glasses remain a desirable shape to wear. They are one of the top shapes of this year, and will continue to be into 2023.

Combining functionality and style in a bold design aesthetic, TVR® OPT took to the drawing board inspired by three vintage frames from the 1960s archived away in its Sabae factory in Japan. From one piece of history to another and reviving the past for the present, the company combined inspiration from the stylish details of all three to achieve what they call “the perfect design” for current times.

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Timeless and always iconic, circular glasses have been a staple statement look for well-known architects and artists, including Chinese-American architect, I.M. Pei, Swiss/French architect, Le Corbusier and English painter and print maker, David Hockney. The round design is considered one of the most classic shapes of eyeglasses of all time, dating back to the days when the rounded lenses were only used for corrective purposes (not fashion!). Round glasses are an excellent complement for all face shapes, thanks to their curvature, symmetry and styles, intellectual overtones. Find out more at www.tvropt.eu and www.tvropt.com

Creative spirits

SALT. Optics: Benjamin Montoya and Trevor Dylan Kelley

18th November 2022

The energetic California-based team at SALT.Optics have opened their first retail store in Studio City (CA) this year. We searched down Benjamin Montoya and Trevor Dylan Kelley – the designers behind the brand – for a chat about all things eyewear at a special moment in the independent brand’s story and evolution.

What is the current focus at SALT. Optics? At SALT. authenticity is paramount. We want it to run through all aspects of the design and development process. From the inspiration behind the styles, to the integrity of the materials, and the function of the final product; authenticity informs each step and choice along the way.

How have the collections evolved in the last years and through the difficult times of 2020/21? Well, in this current global situation every industry is feeling a crunch on raw materials and production. Even in a pre-Covid world though, eyewear requires such a long lead time to produce. The process of bringing a style all the way from design concept to a frame on a shelf can easily take up to a full year. If you don’t truly know why you’re making a frame and what customer that frame is meant to serve, then you can find it may be lost before you even launch it. With that kind of investment of both time and resources, you really need to have conviction for what you’re making.

The SALT. team has opened a new retail space is located at The Shops at Sportman’s Lodge, 12833 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

We have noticed some really beautiful new details appearing in the frames. What is your hope with these elegant additions? Thank you! We’re glad you noticed them. The idea is to offer a timeless, original style that delivers the highest optical experience possible. We love heritage eyewear, but it’s not enough to just keep making what has worked in the past. We want to honor what has come before, but also elevate it with design features and quality materials such as custom stamped core wires, proprietary colors of Japanese acetate, and functionally engraved Aerospace grade titanium. Timeless doesn’t have to mean boring. This should be a product that you are excited to wear a few decades from now.

Is California still at the very heart of the brand? How does your retail / optician background continue to influence the collections at SALT.? We both live, work, and raise our families here in California, so it is a big influence on our day to day lives. That is inevitably going to make its way into anything we do. However, SALT. is really only one-half California, with the other cornerstone being Japan. Aspects of Japanese culture such as integrity, discipline, and respect very much inform the SALT. design process. We spend a lot of time in Japan each year to ensure that the production of our frames and our partnership with the factories is as excellent of quality as possible.

Close up: SALT. frames on display in the new retail space

Our backgrounds in eyewear will always inform our process and priorities in design. As opticians, we were frustrated that it seemed many designs were based on looks and not optical performance. Our goal is to combine the two. There are a number of features that are built into the design to ensure that integrity of the lens, and the Japanese material selection and manufacturing support this. Each piece of SALT. eyewear is specifically crafted to help the dispensing optician provide the most elevated product possible and deliver the highest optical experience to the end consumer.

SALT. Optics; the frames are inspired by details in nature – the nature campaigns at SALT. feature photographic works of art

What activities are important to you for the brand close to home? We believe the most impactful way to share the brand philosophy is to experience it in person. As such, we recently opened the first flagship SALT. retail store here in California. We love speaking about the brand and our philosophies around eyewear, but it’s amazing when someone can walk into our space and experience the passion, expertise, and quality of SALT. without having to be told about it. That’s a really exciting thing to see.

What are your plans coming up into 2023? We’ve got a lot planned for next year, new product we’re very proud of, and a major collab that we can’t wait to tell you about. SALT. is growing and evolving in very exciting ways. Stay tuned!

To read our feature on the new SALT. store, visit https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/10/salt-optics-opens-first-flagship-store/ – to find out more about SALT. Optics visit www.saltoptics.com

Reviews

Buffalo horn by Götti Switzerland: new structural designs released

16th November 2022

Two new styles in the Götti natural horn collection are bold and elegant, with an attractive hand-polished sheen

Released for November, the new styles Bautista and Bloom are the latest natural horn additions from the Swiss eyewear label, specialists in the production of fine quality glasses in natural, 3D printed, titanium and acetate materials. With sculpted structures that are thick and bold, the frames are instantly recognisable as natural horn designs, offering one-off colorations and patterns typical of the traditional eyewear material. Above: the Bautista model in buffalo horn – Götti Switzerland

Bloom in natural buffalo horn: *Götti Switzerland*

The finish of the material is enhanced through hand-polishing to leave a subtle glossy finish that is sophisticated with a classical style.

Buffalo horn frames by Götti are a traditional feature of the company’s collections, and have come to be recognised for their particular elegance and refinement bringing together carefully sourced buffalo horn (ethically sourced from domestic animals) and the expertise of artisans working to emphasise the natural qualities of the precious horn material, crafted with the utmost care, to make the frames. Find the styles at www.gotti.ch

Reviews

JF Rey: perfectly round glasses, deconstructed

15th November 2022

The round glasses style JF3024 is a highlight in the new Autumn/Winter collection at the French eyewear brand

The French eyewear label is highlighting their new optical model – JF3024, which plays with the iconic round shaped eyeglass classic, by removing some sections of the thick, flat bold rims. The result is an impactful shape, with an avantgarde air. The colour palette adds to the distinctive graphic effect, with a choice of tones from intense black (our favourite) to refined multi-coloured acetate patterns. Above: JF3024 in multicoloured pattern effect, a completely different look and feel to the matt black version

JF3024 – a slightly raw, industrial finish on the black version

The architectural structure created with the cut-out sections which create empty space around parts of the lens are particularly dramatic in black (above).

JF3024 in black with the metal sun clip in place

Made in France in the Jura workshops used by the French brand, the new bold eyeglasses are also proposed with a sun clip (with Category 3 sun lens) which gives an extra futuristic signature to the style – instantly transformed into sunglasses. For more information about the new designs, first launched at Silmo 2022, visit www.jfrey.fr

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Eyestylist

Lafont Paris: eco-responsible, creative design

Eyewear trend: TVR 532 round glasses

SALT. Optics: Benjamin Montoya and Trevor Dylan Kelley

Buffalo horn by Götti Switzerland: new structural designs released

JF Rey: perfectly round glasses, deconstructed