Owner Laurent Schnitzler presents a bright, light elegant boutique in the historic centre of Nîmes (France)
Lunetterie Laurent opened on 11th May 2020, when lockdown ended in France and shops including optical boutiques were allowed to welcome customers back in store. The refined tasteful interior boasts exposed stone, mixed with a palette of minimal white, dark indigo and fittings in light, natural wood. “All our design details, colours and furniture have been coordinated by my wife and I personally,” says Laurent. “We have worked on the presentation of the interior since January. Through lockdown – with unexpected time on our hands – we were working in the store ourselves, painting, decorating and preparing for our opening.”
Located in the historic centre, with an old, stone facade decorated with hanging baskets, the shop has focused on offering handmade collections and brands are selected on the basis of quality, artisan production and exclusive provenance, with a particular focus on local French production. “We only offer very fine materials – quality acetate, titanium, buffalo horn, shells, gold and wood. We are most interested in eco-friendly, organic and sustainable materials and of course a unique and interesting style of design.” Customers tend to be around 30+ years old, with some families and children, catered to with specialist brands like Very French Gangsters.
For adults, the store stocks Dokomotto, Vuillet Vega, Ovvo optics, SALT. Optics, Kley’s eyewear, Meg eyewear, Gaston eyewear, Dick Moby, Frod’s, Lesca, Friendly Frenchy, and Maui Jim.
We asked Laurent how things have been particularly for the opening with new regulations after lockdown. He told us: “We have adapted. To receive our customers with care we have arranged to have one door as an entrance and one for an exit. Of course we are wearing masks and we use anti-bacterial gel widely, and after every customer visit. We have become used to washing our glasses with soap and water after each fitting. Our interior has space enough so that we can welcome 3 customers in the shop at the same time and easily observe social distancing.”
Lunetterie Laurent, 3 Rue de la Trésorerie, 30000 Nîmes, France
Komono flagship in Antwerp
The Belgian watches and eyewear brand has new opened its new architect-designed flagship store in the heart of its home town of Antwerp. The design is by Berlin-based architectural studio AAS Gonzalez Haase. Keeping the interplay between light and architecture at the forefront of their designs, AAS have gained an established reputation for their innovative spatial concepts. Their work includes major artwork installations, luxury retail interiors, residential extensions and conversions for industrial and art-related spaces. Some of their best noted works include the Marta Herford Museum, the redesign of the Balenciaga stores and the Andreas Murkudis Berlin store.
For KOMONO in Antwerp, AAS emphasised their spatial language by creating a clear gallery in which the eyewear, watches and related product takes centre stage. A reduced palette of materials combined with smart use of space focuses on transmitting the light and creates an airy visual effect. From translucent to opalescent, the materials are assembled in simple and repetitive display shapes to avoid any unnecessary details. Large mirrors are separated from the main displays and convert into the large glass windows so that light naturally flows into the space and is diffracted among the displays. Bright horizontally placed ceiling lights accentuate the goods presented and further enhance this concept of spaciousness.
KOMONO flagship, Kammenstraat 46, 2000 Antwerp – www.komono.com
Götti store opens in Basel
Götti Switzerland has opened its second store in Switzerland, in collaboration with a leading optician – Ramstein Optik. The elegant minimal “space” has been conceived for the presentation of the entire series of Götti Switzerland collections, and its broad choice of designs and materials, from natural horn to titanium and state-of-the-art 3d printed eyewear.
The minimal bright white interior design concept was created by Götti Switzerland and executed by local partners in Basel. In addition to the spacious display wall, which presents the products with wonderfully enhanced light, allowing customers to explore the collections with ease, the focal point of the new boutique is a large decorative chandelier of glass spheres and over 400 acetate frames which takes pride of place at the service counter.
“The second Götti brand store fulfills a longstanding dream,“ according to Sven Götti. “We found the perfect partner with Ramstein Optik. The basis for such a close collaboration has to be a specialty store, and a team acquainted with the collection for many years that uncompromisingly identifies with the brand.” Find out more at www.gotti.ch By Clodagh Norton
Mykita Munich opening
Interior design collaboration with Stephanie Thatenhorst
Mykita opens its third shop in Germany in central Munich, close to Maximilianstraße at Am Kosttor 3. A historic listed corner location formerly used as a gallery space, the shop presents the design language and handcrafted eyewear collections from MYKITA in a welcoming luxury atmosphere where historical elements are offset with one-off furnishings and contemporary design accents.
In a different vein from the typical sleek, minimalist tradition of other MYKITA stores, the interior design was a collaborative effort between the Berlin eyewear maker and local architect office Stephanie Thatenhorst: behind the restored façade of the historical 19th century building, oversized arched windows and doorways set a grand tone followed up by the use of luxurious materials, including marble surfaces, bronze mirrors, glass lights and custom-built furniture pieces from Thatenhorst.
Inside, the eyewear collections are extensive, and include the designer collaborations with Maison Margiela, Helmut Lang and Bernhard Willhelm. A Zeiss Vision Center provides comprehensive optical services and the opportunity for a customised optical profile, to perfectly adapt the frame and lens to each customer’s face. MYKITA Shop Munich, Am Kosttor 3, 80331 Munich, Germany – www.mykita.com
Clelland & Co., Montrose, Scotland
A design-focused independent eyewear boutique, north of Dundee
“We do things differently here,” says Gary Clelland in his Instagram profile @clelland_and_co. The pictures posted on the account show just how far the store has come in a short space of time. Clelland bought the optical shop in February 2018 completely transforming it from a tired, old-fashioned traditional shop with run-of-the-mill frames into a treasure trove of modern independent eyewear, sourced from around the world. Above: a 1950s wood haberdashery cabinet – repurposed for storing the eyewear, takes pride of place in the shop
“I went to Silmo for the first time in 2017,” Gary Clelland told Eyestylist, “and I was blown away by the variety and quality of niche eyewear available, I knew then I had to bring some of that to Montrose.” In 2019, Clelland introduced Gotti Switzerland and SALT. Optics to the store and began a process of transformation which culminated in a wonderful redesign with the assistance of the stylist Pamela Taylor (@Pam_picks) from Aberdeen.
“For the interior, I didn’t want the shop to look like every other optician’s. Scotland is awash with ‘normal’ optical shops, and not many practices are brave enough to create a different experience for their customers.” The work on the refit was completed in February 2020, and by that time, more new collections had been selected for the store, including theo, Anne & Valentin and Lowercase, following buying trips to Opti Munich and 100% in London.
“Fast forward 2 years from the beginning and we are now selling far more stylish eyewear with much better lenses,” says Gary. “Our retail environment has been completely transformed with a view to improving the customer experience. From lighting, to paint colours, to the materials used on the seating, it has all been done to help the customer feel relaxed and at home. We now work with far less suppliers but have more depth in each collection. I am now confident that we can bring our clients a fantastic selection from some of the best eyewear manufacturers from around the globe. Anyway why not, we think our customers deserve it!”
Clelland & Co is offering a unique selection of over 450 frames including Rolf Spectacles (Austria), Anne & Valentin (France), Bruno Chaussignand (France), Gotti (Switzerland), la eyeworks (LA), Lowercase (NYC), THEO (Antwerp) and SALT. Optics (California). For more information visit www.clellandandco.com
Clelland & Co., 153 High Street, Montrose, Angus