The show season is now in full swing. London will welcome optical companies and designers from far and wide at the third edition of 100% Optical, held at ExCel. Designers are preparing new collections for the seasons ahead, with focus on innovation, new technology, technical processes, colour and design. Trend highlights will include hot new colours – we’ll be expecting more interior design inspired metallics, and a rise in light, delicate pastel tones. The delightful coral featured in the Kaleidoscope Collection by Kirk & Kirk is a good example of this direction – www.kirkandkirk.com. A soft focus, summed up by new caramels,nude tones and cappuccino hues, offers a fresh colour story that we can expect to be a lasting one, with its chic, ultra-flattering look for natural skin tones.
With our eye on the new arrivals and up-and-coming talent, 100% Optical promises a good line-up of international newcomers this year, including brands like Smoke x Mirrors, Fakoshima and Tavat Eyewear, who have a new lightweight acetate version of their eye-catching SoupCan design launching at the show – www.tavat-eyewear.com.
Trends in colour combinations will be a key topic, brightening up classic shapes or avant garde silhouettes with a dash of something unexpected. Labels like Woow Eyewear from Paris – a 2-year old design brand by Architectures (Face à Face), show the fun opportunities of multicoloured eyewear geared to a young generation who increasingly expect fashion-driven trends and idiosyncratic details, here in the form of little messages or words written at the end of the temples or on the lining of each design. www.wooweyewear.com
From even further afield, Australia’s Jono Hennessy, now widely available in leading optical boutiques in the UK, will show bright combinations of wood-look with punchy blocked colour (Carter Bond) and textile embellished eyewear (Jono Hennessy) that sum up a widespread desire among the independents to shake up the classic looks with striking colours and beautifully attentive finishing. www.jonohennessy.com / www.carterbond.com
100% Optical is a trade fair for the optical sector. The exhibition takes place from 6th to 8th February 2016 at London’s ExCel. www.100percentoptical.com CN