In the heart of the picturesque Loire Valley in France, every Derome Brenner frame is fabricated in their countryside atelier, under the watchful eye of designer Xavier Derome. Eyewear and working in acetate are his passions, as are uncluttered designs that deftly combine classic and modern elements. Huggy demonstrates Derome’s supremacy in acetate – subtle tortoise colourations in a strong round shape, expertly crafted. www.deromebrenner.com JG
1st March 2013 Home to the Fiat and an important industrial centre in north west Italy, Turin is not normally associated with eyewear. But Giovanni Vitaloni’s company has grown from a family business producing automobile parts and accessories to an eyewear design company, recognised for its pioneering spirit in terms of innovation, materials and uniquely Italian infusion of style and technical achievement. Working with Irene Chinaglia (head designer, above, centre) and Valerio Fava (pictured above, left), Vitaloni (above, right) is also a representative of the board of Anfao, the Italian association for producers of frames and sunglasses.
“Nico Design as a design company, has always been interested in product development and experimenting in colour, shapes, and materials. My family was manufacturing components originally so we used that experience in other sectors and applied it to eyewear; that is really how we began. I believe it is this direction that gave us a chance to create our own market in the frames’ business.
“For 10 years we have had our own showroom/store in Turin where all the collections are on display. It is like the heart of the two brands we have created, Vanni and Dérapage….we do special exhibitions here but it is also a place where our customers from the surrounding area can buy their frames direct from us.
“We have a design team in which I am involved, for the two labels. Personally I have developed my knowledge in terms of eyewear over the years, since I first started working with my dad. We opened our own factory in Belluno for metal frames and we had that for about 5 years, so I was able to learn a great deal about the production side.
“My aim has always been to have our own taste and identity – so we always start from a blank sheet of paper. Our process for developing the collections lasts in total about 9 months from start to finish. For example, we are developing our own colours with Mazzucchelli and in order to do that you need time.
What’s new at Vanni? ” We are launching new collections for the Hydra and Happy Days lines in Milan this month. We are also launching a new surface treatment on a metal frame called Mock-rock – we have created a unique matching “Vanni” nail varnish in the same colour as the frame which is given with the frame as a gift. It’s beautiful!
“Vanni was born in 1991 – it is a line that has, and continues to be, based on colour concepts but our aim is always to find a balance between creativity, originality and wearability. We work very hard on our own acetate colours and unique patterns in collaboration with Mazzuchelli – this requires true dedication. www.vanniocchiali.com
“Our other brand – Dérapage – is dedicated to frame innovation. The latest addition here is a special MoleCube hinge which is made in Italy in its entirety – this consists of three strips of steel held together by a square pivot. Their is no need for adjustments and no risk of it coming undone which makes it very, very practical and popular for those who want integrity in the design and true wearability.” www.derapage-eyewear.com CN
1st March 2013 Spring is a colour jubilee this year -dreamy, soft tones from buff, sand and cappuccino, to sprightly buttercup yellow, tangy orange and royal blue. Accent colours are in deeper tones – wine and grass among the favourites. Eyestylist spotted Jessica Hanna, Marketing Editor, Net-A-Porter.com – looking very chic in a sunny yellow coat at London Fashion Week. Photo by Margarida Viegas at London Fashion Week, February 2013, exclusively for Eyestylist.com
Anne et Valentin greet spring with sunglass models that are gems with colour and design. We love the extended cat-eye shape of Douala (above) and the juxtaposition of pale and dark – pale pink is accented with moss green or wine. www.anneetvalentin.com
Colour Pop is the vivacious new collection from Caroline Abram, with a trio of different tones on each frame. The classically elegant cat-eye takes on a new dimension with the combination of colours. This spring – be daring! www.filaoparis.com JG
1st March 2013 An exhibition awaited with much anticipation – David Bowie Is – opens this month at the V&A in London, and celebrates Bowie’s fifty years of songwriting, performing and recording, to designing costumes, stage sets and album artwork. The chronicle of Bowie’s extraordinary career starts in 1963, when David – or ‘Davie’ Jones as he was then – began to be involved with London’s burgeoning music scene. In 1965, he changed his stage name to David Bowie. He has never been fearful of breaking with tradition and being radical – whether in his choice of music or amazing costumes. The exhibition includes the original Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit and boots created by Freddie Burretti, and worn on national TV, when Bowie’s first single from the album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust was released. Bowie was fascinated with the designs of Kansaie Yamamoto, and approached him to design costumers for his Aladdin Sane tour. The striped bodysuit (above) was among the most flamboyant, sculptural and eye-catching that Bowie wore and was inspired by the Japanese style of samurai and kabuki actors.
The luxury Italian fashion brand Gucci, and Sennheiser Group, the acclaimed German manufacturer of microphone and wireless transmission systems have generously sponsored this pioneering exhibition. David Bowie Is an altogether striking celebration of a truly original performer, whose immensely creative imagination and ubiquitous presence in music, fashion and the stage continues to influence contemporary visual and virtual culture. Opens 23rd March through 11 August 2013. www.vam.ac.uk JG
Top photo: Striped bodysuit for Aladdin Sane tour. Designed by Kansai Yamamoto Photograph by Masayoshi Sukita 1963 Copyright Sukita/The David Bowie Archive 2012
Middle photo: Promotional shoot for The Kon-rads Photograph by Roy Ainsworth 1963 Courtesy of the David Bowie archive 2012. Copyright V&A Images
1st March 2013 David Leung from Coterie in Beijing shares with Eyestylist the history and direction of his glamorous boutique.
Please give a background of the boutique. “Three of us, all fashion addicts, came together in late 2011 and started the Coterie project. For us, it is exciting to be the first to introduce many top eyewear designers and their collections to China. We strongly believe when consumers are offered more choices, they will start to understand that good eyewear is more than just a luxury name tagged onto the temple of an average product. We created the interior space design ourselves. We believe the best background to frame eyewear is white. It is the only colour that allows the subtle colour differences – both the lens and the frame – to be fully revealed. And since we are so into originality and the beauty of vintage, it came to us naturally that the space would have no option but to be European-style inspired – and all-white.
“One of our boutiques sits in a very interesting mall in Beijing called Parkviewgreen. The entire mall is covered with glass walls from top to bottom – like a greenhouse. Abundant sunlight penetrates the mall, and makes you feel like you are walking outdoors. Since the mall owner is also the biggest art collector in Hong Kong, he displays lots of his interesting and stunning collections – including Salvador Dali – in the mall. When people walk in, it is not only about shopping, but also an experience that resembles going to an exhibition.”
You stock European/North American labels – are your customers inspired by fashion from these countries? “To us, there are two major reasons why we are more inclined to labels from Europe and North America. First of all, these countries are also where most of the world’s fashion ideas come from. We can see breakthrough new attempts every season, and that’s inspiring! Amazingly, while innovation is there, we also see a lot of brands that have a long history successfully keeping their craftsmanship and spirit in their collections. It is heritage and it is not replaceable.”
Your customer profile? “Most of our consumers come from the fashion world. They are celebrities, actresses/actors, fashion editors, models and trend lovers.”
For Spring/Sumer 2013 – what are customers looking in eyewear? “We believe black/gold, with acetate plus metal parts will be still on the spot. Slowly, we see metal as a material (or partially metal) coming back on stage as a trend. Green/dark green will become a colour to go for this season. Mirrored lenses and frames and lenses in the same colour are options to many who are bored with normal gradient grey/brown lenses. Wellington styles, oversize, cat-eye, flat-top and vintage revamps will be some of the most favourable shapes in 2013.”
Do you have events in the boutique? “We love modern artwork, and therefore we regularly invite artists to have their exhibition in our stores. We had Chenman – the photographer – create a series of images for us when we launched the project. And it was followed by ceramic artist Nutz Luk, and Graffiti artist Hurricane from Oops in May and November last year. In 2013, we will have Casper from Disiniok, creating special fashion illustrations and an exhibit in Coterie in March. Besides artist collaborations, we also create special edition products with brands. Last year, we did projects with EK Paris, Neighborhood Eyewear, Graz Eyewear and Dita Legend. We are now working on a few special limited edition projects, hoping that will help draw more and more attention from consumers in China.
“In April we will have Mik Somers from theo coming to China and we will have interviews with the media. We are also working on a pop-up store project with a brand, and if everything goes smoothly, it should land in Beijing this summer.” www.coterie.cn JG