Eyestylist

SILMO Sensations

5th October 2026

From Friday 25th to Monday 28th September, the halls of the SILMO Paris exhibition served up imaginative eyewear, bold design work and new strong indicators for key design directions in 2027 – unorthodox “art pieces” and exciting collabs revealed new levels of creativity and innovation at avantgarde eyewear brands

SILMO is a highly anticipated international annual event in the optical calendar, revealing new trends and innovations across multiple product categories in optics. This year the show welcomed over 32,000 visitors and 950 exhibitors, with a total of 1500 brands across two halls at Paris Nord Villepinte.

We were able to spend time on key stands as well as visiting many smaller exhibitors to identify the most wonderful and creative things launching. Multiple, varied trends and interesting micro trends were evident, notably, particular shapes such as the aviator and navigator and a continued proliferation of round and oval frames, and two distinctive moods in colour – one bright and one restrained and neutral, drawing on vintage inspiration. There was evidence of a shift towards influences coming from different eras in history on some of the independent eyewear stands, while other collections expressed personality, bright colour and joie de vivre – continuing the theme of self-expression that has become an essential focus for many designers.

As well as anniversary celebrations and new designs released to mark these special occasions (Rigards was celebrating 15 years and Charmant – with Line Art, 70 years) there were notable releases and special editions created with artists, architects and individuals working in other fields.

The Trends Forum highlighted four directions: ‘Fancy’ – featuring feminine styles with fantasy decorations and multicoloured acetates; ‘Charisma’ representing oversized designs, warm colour palettes and dual-material designs; ‘Adrenaline’ which highlighted the more graphic frames and sports and kid’s designs; and ‘Aura’, with a 1990s theme and a range of thick, bold and oversized designs.

The Silmo d’Or awards evening took place at the elegant Pavillon Dauphine on a warm Saturday evening. Independent eyewear winners for 2026 included ROLF for Superbird, Maison Lune for La Galet, and Caroline Abram for Sakura. The Jury Prize went to Paloceras for the sculptural Pebble RX sunglasses. Above: at FACE A FACE, model SIGN 1 is part of the Marker collection, which transforms the gesture of sketching into an exploration of colour, contrast and creative expression (www.faceaface-paris.com); below: Maison Lune won a Silmo d’Or for the frame, Galet

Maison Lune won a Silmo d’Or 2026 – the frames are handmade in Montpellier

‘Positive’ is one of the styles in the new Matali Crasset collection, Les pleins et les vides from theo. The French designer explores the tension between form and space in the titanium models. A recurring spherical detail punctuates every frame, connecting front, hinges and temple tips into one continuous visual conversation. www.theo.be

Among new collections at PORTRAIT on the Parasite stand, we enjoyed seeing a limited edition series of eyewear produced with the Venetian artist, Emiliano Donaggio. Blending eyewear design, sculpture, engineering and Italian craftsmanship, the project challenges conventional frame construction. Its development brought together specialised disciplines and materials rarely combined in a single piece: titanium, stainless steel, silver, Murano glass and artist-worked printed acetate. www.portraiteyewear.com

NINA MÛR presented Freedom, a collection inspired by the Japanese concept Ma, where space is no longer an absence but rather an essential part of the design. Model Sora is the striking round shape in the collection. These frames are made to order from start to finish in Madrid. Find out more at www.ninamur.com

SILMO Paris - The Optical Fair. 25th - 28th September 2026

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

Artistic collaborations were a huge topic again at SILMO. Favourites included the NINA MÛR x OKUDA edition, MYKITA’s pretty edition with the singer Cécile McLorin Salvant, Charmant’s release with the artist Kanako Sasaki for the eyewear company’s 70th anniversary, and the new J.F. Rey x Robertet collaboration: SAKURA, an exclusive collaboration bringing together the art of eyewear design with fine fragrance. The sunglasses were inspired by the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossom, paired with a bespoke signature fragrance, exclusively created by Robertet. Limited to just 350 pieces, SAKURA has a fine metal structure with 3D printed acetate rings. Designed as a wearable piece, the style has category 3 brown gradient polarised lenses, with an inner anti-reflective coating for visual comfort. www.jfrey.fr

Janana is part of the new concept Jellopop at Anne & Valentin, a capsule collection that celebrates pleasure, surprise, desire and indulgence. Inspired by Anglo-American gelatin desserts, food art, chef-driven culinary creations and the exceedingly rare cookbook imagined by Andy Warhol and Suzy Frankfurt, Jellopop transforms the world of dessert into a field of visual experimentation. The frames are characterised by generous volumes, thick lines and rounded reliefs. Exterior bevels catch the light, while layered gradients seem to travel through the material itself. Each frame seems molded from a substance in motion, an almost liquid matter. Find out more at www.anneetvalentin.com

Alpagota launched their new travel product, Vision Twist, at the Paris event. With approximately 120 sprays, the small aluminium case, available in three colourways, has a refillable glass spray inside. The signature aromatic compositions include Sandalwood and Matcha, Eucalyptus and Patchouli and Green Mandarin and Cedarwood. The formula combines anti-static and anti-stain properties to help keep lenses cleaner for up to 30% longer, while a subtle aromatic touch turns an everyday task into a sensorial ritual. www.alpagota.com

The Full list of winners of the Silmo d’Or 2026: Children: Karavan Kids – Zigzag (Design Eyewear Group); Sport: Julbo – Panora; Vision: Mega Optic – EvosightVR; Low Vision: Eschenbach Optik – optaro® XL; Materials / Equipment: Nidek – PHANTOM™; Technological Innovation in Eyewear: Laclarée – Autofocus glasses; Smart Eyewear: GETD & Marienfeld – The Luxury AI glasses; Optical Frames “Labels”: Lancel – Emeline (Grosfilley); Sunglasses “Labels”: Victoria Beckham – VB 7015/S (Safilo); Sunglasses “Eyewear Designer”: Caroline Abram – Sakura; Optical Frames “Eyewear Designer”: Maison Lune – Galet; Sunglasses “Craftsmanship & Know-how”: Brett – Ferdinand Sun; Optical Frames “Craftsmanship & Know-how”: rolf. Eyewear – Superbird; Jury’s Special Prize: Paloceras – Pebble RX.

To find out more about the SILMO d’Or winners this year, visit the SILMO website at https://www.silmoparis.com/en/silmo-awards/silmo-or/laureats

SILMO Paris will take place on 24th to 27th September 2027. The Edition will be a special one as SILMO will celebrate its 60th anniversary. Find out more at www.silmoparis.com

Boutiques

Lunettes Selection celebrates 20 years

2nd October 2026

“We have three shops in Berlin, an in-house brand called Lunettes Kollection and we source vintage pieces. Over the last years we have increasingly established ourselves as eyewear consultants for TV and film” Uta Geyer

Uta Geyer founded Lunettes Selection in 2006. “Lunettes Selection has grown into an independent eyewear business with three Berlin stores and an international reach far beyond Berlin. What started with a search for exceptional glasses has become a collection, an archive and a specialist eyewear service for customers, designers, stylists and film productions.” Above: the Lunettes Selection stores are well known for their exceptional interiors

The store interiors are carefully curated

A particular speciality of Lunettes Selection is the collection of unworn vintage eyewear and dead stock: beautifully preserved original frames that have remained untouched in old stocks and collections, sometimes for decades. “Finding these pieces is still very much a personal process,” says Uta. “I travel internationally to search for forgotten stock. These sourcing trips take me to places where old collections can still be found, by looking through boxes and archives for pieces that are no longer available through conventional distribution.” The archive that has been created in this way has made Lunettes Selection a point of contact for international costume designers, who regularly visit the Berlin stores or order remotely for productions. Uta regularly sources specific glasses for Netflix productions and Hollywood films.

Uta Geyer – *photographed by Jordana Schramm*

Vintage eyewear: Anglo American Optical England – image courtesy of Lunettes Selection

Eyewear from the Lunettes Selection archive has appeared in productions including Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, where Lunettes Selection supplied the glasses worn by Monsieur Néscaffier. Lunettes Selection is also known for providing specialised lenses for film productions. For Conclave, Lunettes Selection supplied lenses with a special coating designed to minimise reflections. More recently, Lunettes Selection produced blood red lenses for a production starring Isabelle Huppert. The film Blutgräfin is scheduled for release in October. Lunettes Selection has also supplied eyewear for Berlin based drama series, 4 Blocks.

A pale pink vintage sunglass shape – origin Belgium

Costume designers often turn to Uta for her expertise. Her connection to film and costume goes back to her studies, where she specialised in film and graduated with a Magister Artium. She also worked in a theatre, where she was responsible for sourcing props. Her interest in film, costume and visual storytelling pre-dates Lunettes Selection and has been part of her work from the beginning.

Alongside its vintage archive, Lunettes Selection presents independent international eyewear labels and its own house brand, Lunettes Kollektion. Founded by Uta Geyer in 2011, Lunettes Kollektion is handcrafted in small, family run factories in Northern Italy, combining classic shapes with a twist, traditional craftsmanship and lasting quality. Find out more at https://lunettes-selection.de

Lunettes Selection first appeared on Eyestylist.com in 2011. Click here for the feature: https://www.eyestylist.com/2011/02/lunettes-brillenagentur-torstrasse-berlin/

Design + Inspiration

MOREL PAR JEAN NOUVEL: collection expands

28th September 2026

Morel has shown an expanding collaboration collection at SILMO, featuring a new rectangular shape in acetate and titanium and a new feminine expression of the circular design

MOREL par Jean Nouvel enters a new chapter, taking the distinctive language of the original collection into new territory. For more than six years, the collaboration has evolved around one essential geometry: the circle. Radical in its simplicity and unmistakably Jean Nouvel, this signature shape has been explored through changing proportions, materials and constructions, from acetate to titanium. In 2026, the concept is evolving with the introduction of new silhouettes. Remaining faithful to the architectural rigour, precision and minimalism that have defined the collaboration from the outset, the latest release extends its geometric vocabulary with an elongated rectangular frame, suited to both optical or sun lenses. Above: campaign image – MOREL par Jean Nouvel

MOREL PAR JEAN NOUVEL: a new shape is introduced designed according to the same underlying philosophy as the circular editions

The rectangular shape is released in distinctive, neutral tones. Both the materials – acetate and titanium – are used to create a clean, contemporary design language. The titanium version incorporates pads for optimum comfort, while acetate brings visual depth and colour to the same rigorous geometry. Designed with a younger, audience in mind, the low, narrow silhouette has an intentionally distinctive presence and invites curiosity – MOREL describes it as “a frame to pick up, try on and experience on the face – while remaining entirely at home within Jean Nouvel’s pared-back creative universe”.

The second development for 2026 takes MOREL par Jean Nouvel into previously unexplored territory. For the first time, the line introduces a distinctly feminine concept, returning to the circle at the heart of the collaboration and reinterpreting it on a more generous scale. Rather than softening Jean Nouvel’s design language, MOREL plays with proportion. The circle becomes larger and more expressive, while retaining the architectural discipline that gives the line its identity. The result is a lightweight frame with a bold presence: rooted in Nouvel’s interpretation of the circle, yet reimagined with an ultra-feminine character. The architecture remains; the proportions shift.

Circle and rectangle. Acetate and titanium. Masculine, unisex and, now, feminine expressions. Far from departing from the principles established at the outset, the 2026 collection demonstrates how much territory remains to be explored. Its vocabulary expands while the fundamentals stay intact: essential geometry, architectural precision, radical simplicity and the absence of unnecessary detail. Interesting versatility comes from the possibility of fitting every optical frame with sun lenses, according to individual needs. Find out more at https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/12/morel-x-jean-novel/ and www.morel.com

Design + Inspiration

Heirloom eyewear by Rigards: marking 15 years of handcrafted frames

26th September 2026

A new spectacular rimless sunglass style by Rigards has been inspired by the movement of a calligraphy brush. The frame, which is exemplary of the fine quality and tasteful detailing of the label, features angular nodes with genuine stones set by highly-skilled jewellery artisans

Nominated for a Silmo D’Or in the Sunglasses “Craftsmanship & Know-How” category, the luxurious handcrafted, one-of-a-kind design features natural diamonds inlaid on the bridge, with coloured gems on the arms, each haloed by hand-engraving. The frame is made entirely of a proprietary 925 silver alloy, down to the custom hexagon screw caps. The elastic alloy allows for strong yet slim temples that reduce bulk and flexibly hug contours. Remnants of the material are recycled to create the temples, bridges and nose pads without any loss of purity or quality. The design weighs 19.5g (with lenses). Above: the new RG1081AGSE by RIGARDS

Marking 15 years with the release of a handcrafted heirloom jewellery frame: RIGARDS Gem & RareCraft series, RG1081AGSE

RIGARDS Gem & RareCraft series comprises creations that exemplify RIGARDS’s highest level of artistry and expertise, stepping into the spotlight ahead of RIGARDS’s 15th anniversary this autumn 2026. Reimagining rare savoir-faire mostly associated with artisanal jewellery, these exceptional frames pay tribute to the pride of artisanal craftsmanship while inviting a renewed appreciation of eyewear as functional art for the face. RG1081AGSE is the latest addition to this distinguished finely crafted collection.

RG1081AGSE is crafted of a superior reprocessed 925 sterling silver alloy exclusive to RIGARDS. This modern, elevated silver alloy is highly resistant to deformation yet endowed with elasticity and resilience, with an excellent rigidity-to-flexibility balance that makes it ideal for shaping the signature elements of RG1081AGSE, such as the sculptural nose pads and the low-profile temples, thus enhancing the frame on multiple fronts: aesthetics, bulk reduction (lighter weight without compromising on strength) and unobtrusive fit. The artisan-crafted, heirloom-worthy RG1081AGSE is constructed not from newly-mined silver, but from recycled silver — fragments gathered from master jewellers’ benches and carefully refined to start afresh. This circular approach not only reduces reliance on extracting virgin materials, but also imbues each frame with resonance of past eras. Fully reprocessable, silver remnants are remelted and reused for components like temples, bridges and nose pads — without loss of purity or quality.

The RG1081AGSE, along with other new handcrafted pieces by Rigards, will be revealed from Friday at SILMO Paris. Find out more at www.rigards.com

Design + Inspiration

Theo at SILMO: an Eyestylist Exclusive

25th September 2026

Ahead of the Paris event, we caught up with the team at theo to find out what they will be unveiling over the big show weekend. Known for its audacious approach to shape, colour and creative expression, the Belgian brand is preparing to take its distinctive design language in a new direction with the launch of theo on air whilst also announcing a brand new line by acclaimed industrial designer, Matali Crasset

SILMO represents an important moment in the theo calendar each year. What can you tell us about what is launching in September in 2026, it sounds different!? SILMO is traditionally the moment when theo not only presents new collections, but also introduces our new annual theme. This year, we’re going “on air”. With theo on air, we translate our mission to make people happy into the world of radio and broadcasting. theo sends out a signal of love that only really gains meaning when it is received and passed on.

We are also launching two new collections: WiFi and our new collaboration with Matali Crasset, ‘Les pleins et les vides’. ‘Les pleins et les vides’ is a bi-colour titanium collection in which form and empty space shape the design together. What isn’t there helps define what you see.

WiFi is about the invisible signals that connect people. Sometimes it is no more than a glance or a smile; sometimes an encounter grows into love, friendship or an entire network. That Digital Love takes shape in five stainless steel frames: Modem, Coax, Router, Fiber and Patch, with strategic cut-outs and a prominent acetate rim around the lenses. Five frames. One network. Invisible, yet tangible.

What aspect of theo on air particularly resonates for you this year, and how does it fit with the overall evolution of the brand? What particularly resonates is that theo on air finds a new way to express an idea that has been part of theo for almost forty years. It is not only about the product, but above all about what a theo can set in motion between people: compliments arise, smiles appear, conversations start, connections are real. The optician plays a crucial role in this. They know their customer, they look, listen, and understand which frame truly fits. In theo on air, the optician becomes the amplifier of our signal, helping people tune into the right frequency: the frame that doesn’t just fit well, but also sparks something. Above: theo on air – a new visual focus in an eye-catching soft colour palette

Can you explain how the theo on air concept will roll out? SILMO is the starting point. Traditionally, this is where we introduce our new annual theme to our customers for the first time and invite them to tune into the new theo frequency. From there, theo on air literally travels out into the world. After the launch, we share the storytelling and promotional materials with our independent opticians. More importantly, we want to inspire them to make the concept their own: in their stores, at trunk shows or in their communication with customers. That fits perfectly with the idea behind theo on air. theo sends out the first signal, the optician receives and amplifies it, and ultimately it is passed on by the person wearing a theo.

A new collection by Matali Crasset is also being unveiled. What can you tell us about this new release? Our collaboration with Matali began more than ten years ago. She wanted to design a pair of glasses for herself and approached several companies. There was an immediate connection with theo. She told us that she wanted to work with us because she recognised herself in our way of thinking. In 2015, we launched our first collection together in Paris.

That creative exchange has only grown stronger since then. Matali starts from an idea and doesn’t allow herself to be restricted by what may seem technically possible. Our designers and production partners then explore how we can translate that idea into a comfortable, wearable theo. She continues to surprise and challenge us. And we are already working together on two new concepts.

How does this collection fit into the world of theo as one of its most prized collaboration collections? We only collaborate with designers when there is a genuine connection. The interesting part is not simply asking someone to design a theo, but discovering what happens when different ideas and worlds come together. That works particularly well with Matali. You immediately recognise her distinctive perspective in everything she designs, yet the result also feels completely natural as a theo. Her way of looking at things challenges our own designers and production partners, while we bring our experience and way of thinking into the process.

It is precisely this exchange that makes the collaboration so valuable. The result is neither matali nor theo alone, but something that could only emerge when the two come together.

What is Matali’s vision in Les pleins et les vides? The title literally means “the full and the empty”. The collection starts from a very precise principle: what we see is shaped just as much by the space around a form as by the form itself. Presence and absence create tension and balance together. One gives meaning to the other. Matali describes this relationship as le champ de tension, the field of tension. Eyewear is actually a perfect object for exploring this idea. You have the lines of the frame, but also the open space around the eyes, the face and the lenses. In Negative, Vide, Positive, Tension, Connexion and Espace, form and space become equal parts of the design. The essence is very simple: what isn’t there shapes what is.

Finally, what are you most looking forward to at SILMO 2026? SILMO remains special for us because it is where you immediately sense whether something works. We spend years developing new collections and months building a new theme, but ultimately you do it for that moment when people see and experience it for the first time. Of course, we are looking forward to seeing how people respond to the new frames. But just as important is how our opticians react to theo on air. Do they connect with it? Does it inspire them to share the story and make it their own? Those first reactions are incredibly valuable. They tell us whether the signal is coming through clearly. And this year, we can even ask quite literally: message received?

To find out more about the world of theo, visit www.theo.be

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Eyestylist

SILMO Sensations

Lunettes Selection celebrates 20 years

MOREL PAR JEAN NOUVEL: collection expands

Heirloom eyewear by Rigards: marking 15 years of handcrafted frames

Theo at SILMO: an Eyestylist Exclusive