June, 2019 | Eyestylist

Top accessories by Diffuser Tokyo

5th June 2019

The accessory brand we love for 2019

Taking the eyewear accessory trend into a new era is the Japanese label Diffuser Tokyo, whose range of accessory products provide the perfect balance between style and functionality, and all the right qualities to pair with the finest eyewear and sunglasses on the market. The label has arrived in Europe at some of the most gorgeous optical shops already including Lunettes Selection (Berlin), KLAR (Darmstadt, Germany), Milan Lunetier (Paris) and Une histoire de lunettes (Montpellier), and it’s about to make its mark very quickly as a brand to watch.

Beautifully finished cases and eyewear pouches – Diffuser Tokyo

The selection of designs by Diffuser includes soft fabric cases, leather cords, cords with silver engraved holders, novel ‘wearable’ eyewear cases and protective leather frame boxes. All the designs are made in Japan and make use of special high-quality materials with much variation including Italian leather, Japanese cow leather, suede, Japanese silk and metal parts in silver, brass or 18k/24k plating in precious metals such as rhodium.

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

Diffuser launched in 2012 as a fashion brand for men and has quickly expanded to produce unisex designs for men and women. Masaki Hirose, who had been working in eyewear sales in Japan, joined with a team of creatives and their products saw instant success at fashion retailers and leading department stores in Tokyo for the balance of quality design and price that has given them immediate immediate appeal for the design-driven eyewear enthusiast.

Diffuser Tokyo will be exhibiting for the first time at Silmo in September 2019. The fair takes place from 27th to 30th September. For full details on the collection visit www.diffuser-tokyo.com CN

Reviews

Peoples from Barbados: Bajan Soul

4th June 2019

NYC events, new stockists in Miami and a special tour of Jamaica. Just a few of the things that optician/designer Alicia Hartman has been busy with since we last caught up with her in April. And with that has come some glamorous new eyewear styles, as well as plenty of colourful sunnies.

We first met Alicia in 2018 (and before that we had been in touch via social media for some years). Now she is one of the most successful opticians to launch her own collection, which includes models suited to sun or ophthalmic lenses. The new model PFB 13 (above in red/tortoise effect), pictured on a girl at eyeQ Jamaica, offers a combination of glamorous elegance with the rich effect of the high-end acetate; it has a particularly individual look when glazed with optical lenses.

Unique screwless flat stainless-steel hinges and beveling techniques, along with signature end tips matching the fronts have the effect of deliberately complementing the matte finishes of these designs – a detail achieved by special lamination techniques and Japanese polishing – no corners are cut in this very chic detailing. The frames can be glazed as opticals or fitted with a subtle gradient mirror and flash lens, just right for beach wear and summer parties.

The brand is now available in some unique stores including Selima Optique (NYC) and Eye Q Optical (Manor Park, Kingston, Jamaica). For more information about Peoples from Barbardos go to www.peoplesfrombarbados.com and visit Alicia’s store Eye Q at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre Holetown, Barbados. CN

Design + Inspiration

Kate Moss, 1992 sunglasses: new collaboration

3rd June 2019

The Iconic Series-4001 In Collaboration With Stephanie Pfriender Stylander – featuring Kate Moss

Christian Roth’s reissue of Series-4001, the dramatic, otherworldly eyewear silhouette that defined the look of a decade as featured by Kate Moss in 1992 comes as no surprise.

Interest in the Series-4001 soared with the publication of “The Untamed Eye,” a fashion monograph released by photographer Stephanie Pfriender Stylander in September last year. The book’s cover features a black and white photograph of Moss, then 17, and a relatively unknown talent; she is lifting the Series-4001 sunglasses over her eyes to reveal a gaze that has since graced an unprecedented number of magazine covers and fashion campaigns.

“Kate, during her early years, had an innate magic mix of vulnerability, curiousness and determination,” Pfriender Stylander recalls. “When I shot these pictures, we were at the beginning of our careers. We were young and unknown, and the story plays homage to that — romanticizing this period of youthful innocence.” The story, commissioned by Harper’s Bazaar Uomo, was one of Moss’s first fashion editorials, and quickly set the tone for the gritty, restless style that became synonymous with the early 1990s.

1992: Kate Moss photographed by Stephanie Pfriender Stylander – wearing CR Series 4001 sunglasses in black

The successful launch of “The Untamed Eye” inspired Christian Roth and business partner, Eric Domege, to collaborate with Pfriender Stylander on a reissue of the style from the cover. “Stephanie’s photographs are nearly three decades old, but the ideas and emotions they capture — young love, rebellion, curiosity — are timeless,” Roth explains. “After speaking about her work and its significance to our label’s heritage, it was clear that the time had arrived to share a piece of our history with a new generation.”

Launched last month, the sunglasses are now available through DITA worldwide. Photographs by kind permission of Christian Roth. All Rights Reserved. Available online at https://christianroth.com/en-us/archive-1993/?id=1756#174=1754&175=1354 CN