A fresh installment in the Ziggy Chen x RIGARDS sustainable eyewear collaboration for 2021 : the design is made from buffalo horn, bamboo paper and repurposed wood
The Chinese menswear designer and the Hong Kong eyewear brand have looked at new ways of working with ethically sourced solid horn, with the usual visual and artisanal approach typical of their creative designs developed together with inimitable style and craftsmanship.
With skill and dexterity, the horn material is sculpted by hand to create the form, characterised by shaved bevels inspired by fluid brush strokes of East Asian calligraphy. The frame has then been coated in gossamer-thin bamboo paper and hand-painted using a complex traditional lacquer technique which requires several stages of drying, sanding and smooth between each layer. The final matte top layer is applied to produce lacquer with a less shiny finish, delivering a unique rendition of the time-honored art form.
In an audacious contrast with the front, the temples are cut from beta-titanium with a hollow-back construction for the most advantageous lightweight comfort while the temple tips are finished in wood from off-cuts sourced from high end furniture. A typically evocative colour palette offers the final touch of elegance to this model which is produced in antique brick, antique black, and antique white, in celebration of natural beauty and hidden poetry. Such finishes and colorations are a signature of the RIGARDS eyewear brand and testimony to the aesthetic sensibility and commitment to innovation of the brand as it continues to explore new design possibilities through ancient processes and rediscovered crafts.
Premiering at Ziggy Chen’s Fall/Winter 2021/2022 presentation entitled Sugardens at Paris Fashion Week, the model us released as a limited edition of 100 serialised pairs. RIGARDS designs are available worldwide at the most exclusive optical retailers and fashion boutiques. For more information visit www.rigards.com