Category header

Trends: black beauties

21st October 2019

It really never went away. But with the resurgence in influences from the 1980s, 90s + 00s, a return of punk, grunge and gothic nuances, and the reemergence of specific iconic items from those decades including the classic black Dr Martens first created in the 1960s, consistently returning as a style piece, black eyewear is on cue to do particularly well in the next weeks and months, in many forms and with the quirkier of statements.

Part and parcel of the genre are the 1990s inspired narrow retro mask sunglasses, much hyped but always evolving thanks to some of the most creative designers in the eyewear business. Above: 90s style reimagined by Factory 900, Japan: model FA-380. Made in Fukui. For details: www.factory900.jp

A monochrome statement – restyling the cat’s eye: Saturn by Essedue, Italy

At Italian artisan label Essedue the inspiration is on the 80s with a nod to David Bowie and a chic “on point” style. Model Saturn, from the PRIMA line, has a strong round lens shape with pointed outer line in black, underscored with a white lower rim. Find out more at https://www.esseduesunglasses.com/product/saturn/

100% Optical 28 FEB - 2 MAR 2026, Excel London

Made of unpolished acetate, model MMRAW016 – in the Mykita x Maison Margiela collection comes in a Raw Black Havana with Black – illustrating that all types of finish and coloration based on black make up part of the season’s new looks. The panto-shaped optical frame with a raised bar highlights visible traces of the milling process, making each model slightly different from another. For more information: www.mykita.com

We have selected a few examples of the black styles now available for A/W 19/00. For more inspiration visit our Instagram page @eyestylistmagazine.

Category header

Japanese eyewear: True Vintage Revival TVR®

12th August 2019

Introducing TVR®, an eyewear collection by skilled craftsmen from Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan

Japanese precision, tradition and artisanal craft: at the centre of the frame manufacturing region of Fukui, where artisans have worked for over 60 years in old family-owned workshops, today there are just a few traditional factories existing in Sabae who still produce handmade eyewear, and a handful of craftsmen and women of this age who continue to produce eyeglasses by hand. Some of them work exclusively with True Vintage Revival – TVR®, a small label dedicated to their extraordinary expertise through the revival of the historic “classic” shapes. Above: Artisan Yamada Mitsukazu, in his 70s, works with his wife in their traditional workshop. He has been making frames since he was 16 years old. Between them, they make around 100 frames a month.

Inside the Sabae factory where TVR® frames are produced

TVR® uses time-tested methods to create these high-quality “revival” designs as well as original tools and moulds which date from the 1920s to the 80s. They also use the “Datum Expression Size” technique, a masterful method for measurement used during the 50s in Japan to obtain a subtle balance in the design for comfort, durability and lightness.

Craftsman Yamada Mitsukazu: one of the TVR® collections is dedicated to Yamada

In the making of the TVR® classics, vintage design features including the keyhole-bridge, functional ‘spear’ rivets, 7-barrel hinges, and other traditional spectacle details are boldly executed with skill, passed down through these generations of craftsmen whose families were responsible for starting the production of Zylonite/celluloid spectacles in the early 1950s.

Model TVR®504: a shape made famous by James Dean

Today, TVR® produces a selection of collections in Japanese zyl and SPM Sun Platinum Metal – a metal material first used in Japan in the 1930s and a favourite of the former Emperor of Japan, Hirohito. The shapes are inspired by 50 rare and collectible frames the TVR® team found discarded in an old Sabae factory. The collections include the mainline TVR Collection and “YM” – the Yamada Mitsukazu collection. For details about frames in the collections launched for 2019, visit www.tvropt.com CN

Category header

neubau in Berlin with Hien Le

26th July 2017

neubau eyewear from Austria has teamed up again with Hien Le, as part of the designer’s S/S 2018 catwalk show in Berlin. The sunglass models, scheduled for release in Autumn, include the new Eugen, Ruben, Carla and Fabio, which seamlessly blend with the designer’s mens’ and womenswear looks on the runway.

Stylish and eco-friendly, neubau sunglasses are made from the plant based material “natural PX”, and boast an acetate look, while being very light and resistant. The material is very pleasant to wear, and the variety of surface finishes are interesting and unique, with matt effects – which are particularly on trend – and ‘linear’ textures coming into the range for Autumn.

Hien Le’s S/S 2018 collection is a homage to dance in general and explores specific synergies between bodies and materials that compliment and support each other in seemingly fragile movements. The classic silhouettes and pleats in fabrics such as light silks, cottons and linen are reminiscent of dance costumes. Nuances of greige, rosé, sky-blue and accents of saffron yellow mirror the subtlety of the body movements. For more details: www.neubau-eyewear.com – www.hien-le.com / CN

Category header

Finest Seven

1st November 2015

New from the British luxury label is Zero 11, a clean, minimal aviator shape with striking proportions and fashion-forward lens, designed by Jesse Stephens. Colours are in tune with the high quality aspect of the design. A grey graduated lens matches the sheen of the metal frame itself in this example, while other colour combinations include gold with a graduated brown lens and gold with a baby blue mirrored lens. Attention to form and craft, typical of Stephens’ work, is perfectly illustrated in a design that reinterprets a classic with dramatic aesthetics and a comfortable fit. www.finestseven.com CN

Category header

Jacques Marie Mage

1st November 2015

From the Vanguard Collection by Jacques Marie Mage, Hortense is named after the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoleon 1, Queen consort of Holland. Made in Italy, with proportions and a finish that are impeccably thought out, this luxurious wide rectangular design is created in 10mm block black and clear cellulose acetate with custom double laminated and thermoformed temple construction and a superb walnut wood insert. A 6 base mineral glass lens completes the picture of quality and attention to detail. Find out more about the Los Angeles based label at www.jacquesmariemage.com CN