2015

A modernist story

RockOptika at the De La Warr

The world-famous modernist De La Warr Pavilion (www.dlwp.com) in Bexhill, England is the setting for an eyewear campaign by British eyewear label, Rockoptika. Creative Director Tom Herrington fulfils his passion for quality eyewear and fashion photography in the new images, which he shot with stylist Philly Piggott and assistant photographer Paul Cocks.

“The campaign is an integral part of my collection and how I believe it should be presented. I was already planning and visualising how it would look when I began to design the frames a year and a half ago. ”

 

RockOptika
RockOptika – a bijou appearance by Tom Herrington (right)
RockOptika
Maisie Jane Daniels wears model Sinistre / RockOptika

Tom explains: “I love the De La Warr, and it’s just five miles away from RockOptika HQ in St Leonards on the English coast. It’s an exceptional backdrop for a luxury collection which has been created in tune with modernist aesthetics. We are a lucky to have had special access to shoot at this architectural landmark.”

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RockOptika
Eyewear: optical model Columbia in crystal / RockOptika

The latest RockOptika collection is influenced by the sweeping curves, stark lines and muted colours of Bexhill’s iconic building. Featuring in the campaign are model Sinistre, a modified round shape with a flattened top –  and Saiph and Vega, each one in keeping with the building’s hard edges and soft contours in a neutral colour palette – crystal, tortoise and classic black –  creating a natural yet striking focus against the De La Warr’s streamlined concrete and steel. For more information about RockOptika frames, visit www.rockoptika.com CN

Silhouette and Wes Gordon

My mission is to provide women with effortless sophistication” Wes Gordon

Young American designer Wes Gordon has teamed with Silhouette Eyewear in a new sunglasses collaboration for SS16, shown for the first time at New York Fashion Week in September.

Wes Gordon
Wes Gordon x Silhouette Eyewear

With the super light qualities typical of the Austrian eyewear company, the small round design features rimless lenses in a barely there high tech wire frame, produced according to Silhouette’s state-of-the-art eyewear expertise.

 

Wes Gordon x Silhouette
Wes Gordon x Silhouette Eyewear

Minimal and clean with a distinctive feminine charm, the design featured on the runway in four colours – nude brown, classic grey (pictured above), classic green and ocean blue, teamed with Gordon’s 2016 S/S Ready-to-Wear Collection, luxurious and timeless, with crisp silhouettes in coordinated white, yellow and neutral tones, and delicate monochrome prints. For more on Wes Gordon visit www.wesgordon.com. More details on Silhouette Eyewear at  www.silhouette.com CN

Die Brillenmesse in Stuttgart

Independent Innovators in Germany

Beautiful eyewear, vintage cars, and a countryside setting just outside Stuttgart, is an inviting prospect for the weekend of 17th and 18th October. The entertaining ambiance of Motor World hosts Die Brillenmesse, where approximately seventy international designers and companies will present their latest collections.

Both new brands exhibiting for the first time in Stuttgart, and familiar favourites will be showing their collections – including among others: Orgreen; Onkel Ferdi; KBL; Kirk & Kirk; Götti; L.G.R.; Entourage of 7; Face à Face; and Liebeskind. Kirk & Kirk presents their Kaleidoscope designs, and their lovely new matt colours in the Vivarium Collection. www.kirkandkirk.com Top image: Wallace in Cobalt Blue from the Vivarium Collection.

#Blakely by Entourage of 7
#Blakely by Entourage of 7

Sunglasses and optical frames in graceful shapes and lovely colours highlight the collection at Entourage of 7 in Denmark, all finely crafted in Japan. www.eof7.com

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Original print by Liebeskind
Original print by Liebeskind

Liebeskind from Berlin features vibrant colourations with their own print creations, made with a high-resolution HD printing technology. The results are striking! www.wagner-kuehner.de

Die Brillenmesse is an excellent opportunity to investigate the latest collections by eyewear innovators in a unique and memorable location. So save the date – 17th and 18th October at Motor World in Stuttgart. Further details at www.diebrillenmesse.de JG

Details and new directions

Silmo Paris

The Paris show Silmo yielded a vast array of exciting styles and trends, an opportunity for buyers to select high quality, high-tech, creative and unusual, individual designs – which are clearly seeing greater desirability for a wider audience.

Above: A new sleek limited edition aviator, handsome, minimal, and typically luxurious. Designed by Jesse Stevens.  www.finestseven.com

RVS by V
Avner by RVS by V

RVS by V Handmade Eyewear had an eclectic mix of eye-popping acetates (model Fame and Flatliner), asymmetric ideas (Annette) and very clean minimal round shapes, including the new Avner, a stainless steel/Mazzucchelli acetate combination design – for sun or optical lens fittings. www.rvseyewear.com

Regular attendees showed a tremendous attention to design details – the most prevalent trend of them all – and a plethora of new colour, shape and design trends – very fine frame structures in metal and acetate, new interpretations in metal (Metalloid at Rigards was striking) and true finesse in finishings and material combinations. The flat-effect of the Base 2 lens popped up time and again and will lead in SS16. Sunglass shapes were classically inspired and included versions of the aviator, circular shapes, cat eyes and the P3 – but look our for more eccentric directions here too.

 

Katharina L. - designed for Art Director Katharina at ic! berlin
Katharina L. – designed for Art Director Katharina at ic! berlin

ic! berlin launched an exceptional collection produced with new Design Director, Werner Aisslinger. The line is made up of frames linked with members of the ic! berlin team, inspired by them, named after them and created by them, each with a unique story. The debut collection by Aisslinger with ic! Berlin, the products are designed according to shapes from different historical periods, reimagined with new technologies like the new superfine 4 mm hinge. Find out more at www.ic-berlin.de

Kyme Sunglasses
Sabry by Kyme Sunglasses

Layering effects, in the same vein as fabric layering on the catwalks, were a popular way to explore a fresh design story. Kyme Sunglasses had some interesting pieces including floral decorations in a luxury collaboration with Rada and minimal layering effects on frame fronts, illustrated in model Sabry. www.kymesunglasses.com

Agostino by Dabrach: created by Fabiano Matteo
Agostino by Dabrach: created by Fabiano Matteo

Handmade artisan techniques were strongly represented as was the new avant-garde trend and ongoing development in 3d technology with excellent results at Cabrio Belgium (Cabriolet CC) and Tom Stevens. Mykita launched their digitally tailored eyewear concept, MY VERY OWN, MVO. Noteworthy independent brands exhibiting for the first time included specialist international creators Alfred Kerbs from Barcelona, Jacques Marie Mage from LA and Dabrach from Italy – www.dabrach.com, all showing commitment to eyewear quality, precision and creative design.

More information about Silmo Paris can be found at www.silmoparis.com. The next Silmo Paris fair takes place on 23rd to 26th September 2016. CN

 

 

 

Trend watch: 1950s

The cat is back

Small and charismatic or oversized and edgy, today’s cat’s eyes have come a long way since they first emerged in the 1950s and boomed as a decorative fashion accessory thanks to Elsa Schiaparelli. Interpretations in Paris this week were excitingly eclectic for SS16, and confirmed the classic shape will continue to impress.

Following the success of the limited edition Paris II, a creation with a-morir, RVS by V releases their own dual colour, hand finished statement metal cat eye design named Michelle (above), in thrilling colours, and in RVS by V tradition, with the added benefit of a standout mirror lens. www.rvseyewear.com

Noisette by la Eyeoworks
Noisette by la Eyeworks

At la Eyeworks, the playful mood was enhanced by dynamic colour equations. Spectacle style Noisette presents an acetate overlay on beta titanium, in a gorgeous array of tones, such as ‘smoky iris split on deep eggplant’. “Daring and elegant” it is! www.laeyeworks.com

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Le Chat by Alfred Kerbs
Le Chat by Alfred Kerbs

Barcelona’s newcomer Alfred Kerbs, exhibiting at Silmo for the first time this year, update a classic well-fitting cat eye form with a minimal full-screen lens by Divel, attached to the front of the frame. The Mazzucchelli material and its graduated colouring turn the retro shape into an elegant modern proposal. ‘Le Chat’ comes in three distinctive colour choices. www.alfredkerbs.com  CN