Creative spirits

Trending in optics: Gaëtan Gaye is a Belgian entrepreneur, brand builder and business developer in the field of modern luxury. With a background in the fine watchmaking industry, where he worked for one of the world’s three leading luxury groups, he draws on his 15 years of expertise to further enhance the eyewear experience and its desirability. His scented eyewear formulas under the brand Alpagota have caught the imagination of  luxury optical retailers worldwide, delivering a brand new experience to aficionados of fine frames. Gaëtan talked to us in this exclusive interview ahead of the Silmo Paris event this month.

We have seen that you have added a perfumier stockist for the first time for your eyewear products. Can you tell us about this new partnership and how it has come about? What is Galilu’s speciality as a retailer? We now work with Galilu in their seven stores in Poland. Being sold alongside iconic brands such as Aesop, Byredo and Dyptique has always been a goal. Alpagota is at the crossroads of two worlds: optics and beauty, and we want to develop both distribution channels simultaneously. We focus on visual well-being, and it is only natural that after taking care of your skin, hair and body, you should take care of your eyes. If you happen to wear glasses or sunglasses, that means eyewear care. Above: Gaëtan Gaye, Founder of Alpagota, Eyewear Care Re [de]fined™ 

Alpagota has already become a favourite product in many luxury optical stores. What has been the key to building the brand this last year? Are you stocking direct in Europe, Asia and North America or are you seeking distribution partners? The key is and always will be the people. Those who embrace what we do and share the same values. The stores we work with are true visionaries. We are currently distributed in more than 20 countries, including Europe, Asia and North America. Europe is our strongest B2B market and I see a promising future in the United States, as it is our largest DTC market. We are stocked in all the stores of Black Optical in the US but we still need to find the right distribution partner. The recent tariffs might slow the process but I am confident it will happen soon.

What has been the biggest challenge? And the biggest surprise? We are generating a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Every week we receive enquiries from stores all over the world. We recorded triple-digit growth of +261% in the first half of the year compared to last year and have therefore focused on increasing our production capacity in Antwerp to meet demand. That is our biggest challenge to date. The biggest surprise was undoubtedly having a full page of PR coverage in the Financial Times‘ How To Spend It magazine. This is the most valuable and widely read magazine in the world. Such international recognition is a game changer for us.

Is the reaction all positive or have you had to do a lot of work to explain your philosophy and direction to the optical business in general? For now, we mainly work with people who have contacted us or seen us at trade shows, but education plays an important role in our daily work. We are challenging the way this product category has been perceived by the industry and customers for decades. It is a €12.5 billion market from which most opticians derive no income. They have been trained to view eyewear care at the same level as a merchandising key chain. This has to stop, because it minimises the importance of taking care of your glasses. No wonder so many people walk around with dirty lenses. Alpagota is redefining the way people care for their eyewear and their visual well-being.

Currently which is you favourite ALPAGOTA product and why? I can’t choose a favourite product, but Vision °III, our superior aromatic lens cleaner, is currently our bestseller. In addition to cleaning and protecting your lenses, its green mandarin and cedarwood scent gives you a sensory boost every day. It becomes a morning ritual that you can look forward to.

What’s coming next? We have many projects in the pipeline, ranging from new products to new business opportunities. At Silmo, for example, we will be unveiling our first collaboration with an eyewear brand and our very own ceramic trays. Stay tuned and visit us at our booth in Hall 7!

Find out more about the Antwerp-based brand, Alpagota on Eyestylist.com at https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/01/alpagota-changing-the-face-of-eyewear-care

Visit the brand website at https://alpagota.com

Interview by Clodagh Norton, exclusively for Eyestylist.com. All rights reserved.

The emerging eyewear house, Paloceras is quietly establishing itself on the global fashion map. This month, the brand marks a significant milestone with a launch in New York, unveiling two new silhouettes in its acclaimed Pebble collection, alongside a striking palette of new colours and combinations across the entire range. Eyestylist spoke with founders Mika Matikainen and Alexis Perron-Corriveau about their creative partnership, the brand’s origins, and the pursuit of innovation that drives their distinctive take on eyewear design.

What were you working on before starting Paloceras? Alexis: I grew up in Montreal and began my career as a woodworker, creating bespoke furniture and architectural pieces. That hands-on experience led me to pursue product design at university in Montreal. After working locally, I felt the need to look beyond Canada and applied to ECAL in Lausanne to study in the Master’s program in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship. That’s where I met Mika. We both completed the program, and from there, Paloceras began to take shape.

Mika: My background is in digital design. I had been working as an art director at an advertising agency in Finland, and later with tech companies, mostly in digital product design. After years of working in digital environments, I started longing for something more physical. While living in London during a COVID lockdown, I took a walk with a designer friend and we spoke possible futures and a Swiss design school ECAL came up. I applied, was accepted, and that decision shifted everything. Alexis and I met there. I was coming from digital, seeking tactility, while he was coming from craft, interested in digital. Our skills were complementary, and we felt it made sense to try something together, though we had no fixed idea of what that would be. Toward the end of the programme, Alexis began exploring sunglasses in his thesis. We started prototyping and eventually committed to making eyewear. We had no idea how complex the field would turn out to be.  Above: Alexis Perron-Corriveau, Design Director (left) and Mika Matikainen, Creative Director (right), Paloceras – photo by Anderson Martinez

How did you come up with the name Paloceras and begin to build the brand? Mika: Once we decided to do something together, we needed a name. I was still living in Switzerland at the time and one day, while walking through a park, I saw butterflies. I started thinking about the Latin word for butterfly, Rhopalocera. I removed the “Rho,” added an “s,” and checked availability. To our surprise, everything was free – domains, handles, all of it. I called Alexis immediately.

Alexis: We met at a small African café in Lausanne and decided that was it. We registered the name right there. That was even before we had thought of the Pebble collection.

How long did it take to develop the inflated acetate aesthetic, and where are the frames made? Alexis: It was a long journey. We set out to make something that felt unfamiliar in a category where most designs seemed too similar. While we are not claiming to reinvent eyewear, we wanted to create shapes that would be immediately recognisable as Paloceras. We experimented with acetate and used physics software and digital tools to explore unconventional forms. That led us to inflated shapes.

We reached out to manufacturers in Italy and France, both close to our base in Portugal, but the technology to produce the shapes we wanted was not available. Eventually, I travelled to Shenzhen, where we found a small, highly skilled team with the right capabilities. Their process uses a moulded approach closer to injection moulding, specifically adapted for acetate. At the time, this technique wasn’t available in Europe, and even now, it’s far from common. The real expertise still lives in Shenzhen, so we had to go straight to the source.

Is there a level of innovation in the production techniques themselves? Alexis: Absolutely. The moulding process requires different machinery and skills compared to traditional acetate manufacturing. This combination of design intent and technical execution is what allows us to push boundaries. I have visited the team in Shenzhen several times. It was important for us to see the production first-hand, to understand the working conditions and ensure they met our standards. We are transparent about our partnership there because the work is excellent and the collaboration is strong.

The Pebble collection quickly gained attention in fashion circles. Was that the goal from the beginning? Mika: We wanted to approach eyewear as a functional object with emotional and aesthetic impact. The category often views itself through a technical or optical lens. We wanted to see what would happen if we looked at it through fashion.

Alexis: It began as a creative experiment, but always with the ambition to connect with people. My Master’s thesis focused on sunglasses and their cultural significance. What I realised was that the eyewear world is full of gatekeepers. There are few independents, and it is a difficult industry to break into. That challenge pushed us further.

Mika: I have always been interested in the point where design, technology and business meet. For me, staying in one of those domains would not have been enough. With eyewear, it was not just about designing something new. It was about building something with a broader creative ecosystem. We now collaborate with artists, especially through our London atelier, where we craft bespoke designs. These partnerships allow other creative visions to exist within Paloceras, which makes the brand more than a product, so it becomes a platform.

You recently introduced two new shapes: VX Aviator and DX Diamond. What led to these designs? Mika: The collection started with one square and one round shape. That was never going to be enough. Aviators and cat-eyes are popular, but we wanted to reimagine them through our own language.

Alexis: There is a delicate balance between making a sculpture and making something wearable. That tension drives us. The Aviator is bold and recognisable. The Diamond has an angular, edgier character. It nods to the cat-eye but is more neutral. We want our pieces to be for everyone, so we avoided a fully feminine silhouette. These new shapes also respond to what people have been asking for – more variety, new forms, and more colour.

Mika: Colour has been a big part of our evolution this year. Beyond classics like black and tortoise, we are introducing dual laminations and full tones based on our own experiments. Some are made using Mazzucchelli’s custom laminates, others we developed ourselves by combining different magnetic colours. It is a big leap forward for the Pebble collection.

You are based between Portugal and Finland. How does that structure work for you? Mika: Most of our team is in Finland now. Alexis is still based in Lisbon, where we do the biggest part of our prototyping and have the design studio.

Alexis: Portugal was the original home of the brand. For the first year, everything was developed there digitally. When Mika returned to Finland for family reasons, we adapted and found a rhythm that works for us both.

What are you working on next?  Mika: We are preparing to unveil our first optical collection.

Alexis: Development is already under way. We plan to present the collection in September at Silmo in Paris. Having an optical line is important for our retail partners. These new pieces are designed for everyday wear, while keeping the same creative ethos as our sunglasses.

Paloceras sunglasses are available at Paloceras.com and select opticians worldwide, including Black Optical, Atelier Mira, Gogosha Optique, I Visionari and Framed Ewe. The brand will be present at Silmo Paris in September 2025. Find out more about the collection at the Eyestylist link here https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/05/paloceras-pebble-collection-ss25/ and visit www.paloceras.com

Interview by Clodagh Norton. All rights reserved.

In an exclusive interview and an all time first on Eyestylist, Linda Farrow’s son, Simon talks about the UK brand and its heritage as well as announcing a very special guest appearance for the MIDO event 2025: his mother will be at the show to meet visitors as the brand launches the Iconic collection, a stunning design collection with a campaign featuring Linda Farrow as the model.

LINDA FARROW has an incredible history dating back to 1970, when your mother first created the brand. How have you built upon that extraordinary legacy since you reintroduced the brand in 2003? My mother redefined the eyewear industry elevating sunglasses and optical glasses into a statement accessory. She challenged conventions and pushed creative boundaries with her designs. Upon relaunching the brand in 2003, we were able to revitalise the eyewear market by steering away from the generic designs we saw everywhere else by re-introducing some of her more unique vintage pieces. As the company has grown and we continue to introduce trend lend designs we are very careful to stay true to the brands original DNA – timeless elegance with a modern twist. Today we honour her legacy by combining bold innovation with a commitment to enduring sophistication and high quality. Above: Linda Farrow and Simon Jablon – Linda Farrow stars in the new campaign for the Iconic collection

What do you remember most about your mother’s passion for eyewear design when you were younger, and – during her career – was she an entrepreneurial creative as well as artist/designer? My mother was a visionary designer who saw eyewear not just as a practical necessity, but as a creative canvas, and pioneered the concept of designer sunglasses long before it became an industry standard. Her passion wasn’t just about creating beautiful frames, but about making them a bold form of personal expression that challenged traditional design conventions. She understood the intersection of fashion, art and functionality long before it became a mainstream concept. Her designs were not just about aesthetic appeal but about creating pieces that told a story, that made the wearer feel inspired and empowered. She was both an artist and a business woman who understood how to turn her creative vision into a ground-breaking brand that stood the test of time.

What was the biggest challenge in re-building the brand in 2003, and how have things over the years from your personal perspective, I’m sure there have been some challenges as well as good times? We had to reposition ourselves in a competitive and overly commercialised market, demonstrating that we were more than just another eyewear label, but a design-driven brand with a rich heritage of innovation. As the brand evolved, we encountered challenges in maintaining our design integrity while adapting to changing consumer preferences. The most critical aspect of our rebuild was preserving my mother’s original vision of innovative, boundary-pushing design while creating a sustainable, modern fashion brand.

Linda Farrow continues to be singled out as an example of a highly successful family-owned independent eyewear label…with a global following. How much do you value “independence” in the current climate and in an optical world which is dominated by massive players and mass production? Our independence allows us complete creative freedom. Our design philosophy is to actively challenge conventional and mass-market eyewear designs through bold experimentation and risk taking. Our commitment to innovation is exemplified by working with unusual material such as buffalo horn, sterling silver or palladium, each carefully selected to push the aesthetic and technical boundaries of luxury eyewear.

With so much focus on craftsmanship and artisan techniques – and particularly Japanese expertise, what for you are the really exciting developments achieved in your collections in the last few years? Mention any particular steps you have taken in terms of adding to the already luxurious quality and innovation-led design work found across the Linda Farrow collections…we know much thought and passion goes into developing product at this high level? Renowned in the industry for their meticulous precision and exceptional technical expertise, we can guarantee unparalleled luxury and craftsmanship in all our Japanese hand-crafted frames. As we ensure to prioritise quality, all LINDA FARROW’s frames are precisely cut, finely polished and assembled, hence why our lead time is longer.

Collaborations have been a fascinating part of the LINDA FARROW story, and you have worked with some spectacular fashion designers. What have been highlights for you in your wonderful collaborative design collections and do you enjoy working with brands and exploring new synergies? Our collaborations have been instrumental in expanding our creative horizons. We focused on strategic collaborations with design powerhouses such as Dries Van Noten, Magda Butrym or The Attico, which helped us reconnect with fashion-forward consumers and introducing LINDA FARROW to new global audiences, while maintaining our distinctive identity. Our recent license deal with Jacquemus represents a particularly exciting milestone. Seeing our sunglasses featured prominently in their fashion shows and adorned by celebrities has been a remarkable validation of our collaboration approach.

What will you launch at MIDO this week and what do you look forward to most about this international show? We look forward to showcasing our new Surrealist AW25 collection as the reaction so far from the previews has been fantastic. The main thing is that Linda Farrow herself will be joining us at the show, her first time returning after many years. This event represents a unique opportunity for some of our favourite clients to meet and greet my mother directly, the pioneering visionary behind the brand. This will coincide with the launch of the Iconic collection for which she is featured as the model. For more information visit www.lindafarrow.com – an exclusive interview by Clodagh Norton for www.eyestylist.com. All images were kindly provided by LINDA FARROW.