Design & Inspiration Archives

Linda Farrow’s Black Series campaign features London tailor Mark Powell

13th January 2025

Powell’s craftsmanship, quality, and London heritage align with the ethos of the BLACK SERIES, with its luxurious, beautifully crafted materials and workmanship

The new styles in the BLACK SERIES by Linda Farrow, including 10 sunglass styles and 15 optical frames are produced in combinations of Sterling 925 silver and natural buffalo horn or the signature titanium and acetate typically featured in the BLACK SERIES. Above: Powell was photographed in the Black Series styles by Linda Farrow at his store in Soho, London

LOFT NYC - chelsea industrial chelsea factory march 13-15 New York

Highlights in the collection and worn by Powell in the campaign are the sunglass models Marco, Darin and Talbot, and optical styles Darin and Jeffrey. Inspired by the brand’s heritage, each model has been created as an heirloom design with timeless appeal, distinct in every refined detail, from the signature metal hardware to the clean lines and luxurious all-black colour palette. Find out more about the BLACK SERIES at www.lindafarrow.com

Design & Inspiration

6 colour stories in eyewear, for 2025

9th January 2025

This year’s colour palette is full of standout hues: Pantone’s Mocha Mousse, the colour of the year, is just one of many soft and flattering hues that are trending; bright colours have also been of great interest in 2024, with saturated bright tones, colour combinations and translucent ‘crystal’ colours doing particularly well. Here we identify six colour stories present in the collections that are important at the start of 2025….

1. Blue tones inspired by nature

Many of the blue tones featured in contemporary eyewear are informed by nature and variations of natural blue tones in the sea or the sky. The new collections arriving this month feature tones of dark blue, Mediterranean blue, powder blue, lapis and Cerulean blue. Above: the colour blue has been successful in 2024; for the new season, SALT. Optics is featuring the attractive Matte Indigo tone across its collection, pictured here, SALT. Optics’ model Turner in matte indigo with a brown tinted sun lens – www.saltoptics.com

Skips the queue by Suzy Glam: a very unique colour proposal with a light airy blue elegance

Model ‘Skips the queue’ from Suzy Glam has a fine organic shape and comes in the ‘bluebird matte’ colourway pictured, lightly patterned with an effect that looks like it has been painted delicately with a brush, with blue tones inspired by natural bluebird feathers. For more inspiration, visit www.suzyglam.com

2. Warm brown hues and the light ‘Mocha Mousse’, Pantone’s Colour of the Year

Brown has been a highlight of the eyewear collections in Autumn/Winter 2024, and Pantone’s soft and mellow Mocha Mousse is billed to “nurture us with with its suggestion of the delectable qualities of chocolate and coffee.”

JF 1563 by J.F. Rey – the brown tone is similar to Mocha Mousse

Model JF 1563 from J.F. Rey is a a geometric optical shape for women. The colourway above fuses several brown tones including a hue similar to Mocha Mousse for the frame front.

J.F. REY – the French company has released several frames featuring combination colours including hues related to Mocha Mousse, the Pantone colour of the year

For the model JF1571, the J.F. Rey design team has created a colour mix featuring a dark brown, a light translucent brown close to Mocha Mousse with patterned acetate temples featuring flecks of light powder blue. Mocha Mousse is a soft and easy-to-wear colour for the face, and is particularly attractive when paired with other colours. For more details: www.jfrey.fr

3. Nature’s greens and aqua tones

Over the last few years, green has had a much more important role to play in eyewear. Some of the most artistic frames proposed in recent collections translate vibrant and muted natural green colours in acetate patterns. Greens that have been particularly sought after include olive, emerald, teal and mint.

The green version of model Sacha by henau eyewear plays with a spectacular mix of natural green hues with a vibrant fresh infusion on the front and single tone natural green temples to match. Find out more at www.henau-eyewear.com

The latest collection from OGI Eyewear features intriguing colours across the line for men and women. The Wayzata style is available in this Aqua Turquoise Tortoise. The frame also features pops of colour at the brow and the end pieces of the front, an original placement of colour that is achieved with particular expertise during the making of the frame. www.ogieyewear.com

4. Tortoise variations

Tortoise-toned acetate remains a staple choice for many eyewear enthusiasts. Designers are incorporating many different sophisticated interpretations of this classic colourway, ensuring that its appeal remains contemporary and fresh. Particularly attractive are the tortoise patterns featuring flecks of other tones, coloured tortoise tones which feature a wash of another colour such as red or blue to create variety and combinations of tortoise-coloured acetates with other more saturated tones.

Model Rubis from Lafont Paris is an example of a combination where striking tortoise patterned acetate has been paired with a deep dark tone of black. www.lafont.com

Bastian by Jisco – an expressive tortoise pattern with flecks of blue

The men’s model Bastian by Spanish label Jisco Eyewear is available in a rich tortoise pattern with a touch of blue that runs through the acetate material. See more colour ways at www.jiscoeyewear.com

5. Light-toned neutrals and mineral-inspired hues

Tones inspired by natural pigments or spices like cinnabar, umber, turmeric and cinnamon offer elegant and flattering colour ideas in eyewear. These tones have an enduring presence thanks to their versatility and beauty when explored with different intensities and effects of transparency or brightness.

The new square model Rose by Lafont Paris is available in this acetate combination, where a translucent brown not dissimilar to a burnt sienna is paired with a light smokey crystal temple tone. For more innovative colour combinations on this theme visit www.lafont.com

MYKITA has several examples of this colour palette. The Acetate Rings frame Halvar features in a shiny graphite / taupe /clear combo – a sophisticated mix of natural tones which complement the pure construction of the sleek stainless steel + acetate. www.mykita.com

6. Purple and lilac

In the women’s collection purple tones are well represented, from deep and mysterious shades of indigo and aubergine to bright pops of lavender, fuchsia and amethyst.

The thick-framed model Looper by Italian eyewear brand {rewind} comes in an original striated acetate pattern in an eye-catching Marsala purple infused tortoise. See more of {rewind}’s original acetate colour proposals at www.rewindeyewear.com

SUITTO Eyewear – a lilac crystal for 2025

Suitto Eyewear’s quirky round model Vlaai comes in this fresh lilac crystal tone for 2025. The colour appears throughout this collection from Barcelona. “The subtle transparency permits the light to reflect and play with the lines of the design, creating an elegant and sophisticated look…” www.suittoeyewear.com

Design & Inspiration

Ørgreen Optics starts year with bold new campaign

7th January 2025

The Danish eyewear company says the campaign is inspired by the brand’s historic roots in one of Copenhagen’s oldest postcodes

With its studios facing some of the city’s most iconic canals, 1415 signifies more than just a location for Ørgreen Optics —it embodies the essence of the company as an independent design house. Honouring this rich legacy, the new campaign from Ørgreen aims to blend tradition with innovation and visuals which showcase the company’s design and innovation in materials, forms and colours. Above + below: the new eye-catching images released this month at Ørgreen Optics

The 1415 pattern, central to the new campaign, symbolises a bridge between past and future — a celebration of origins while embracing what’s next. “This campaign marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Ørgreen Optics, setting the perfect tone for the brand’s bold vision as it expands globally throughout 2025,” said Giordano Capuano, Marketing Director. For more information, visit www.orgreenoptics.com

Design & Inspiration

RES/REI collection inspired by Northern Lights

6th January 2025

RES/REI presents Limited Edition inspired by the natural light display of the Northern Lights

The collection, announced this week, is inspired by the colours of the Northern Lights and the story behind the word Aurora, in Finnish Revontulet, meaning Fox Fire.

Revontulet comes from the ancient belief that the Northern Lights are caused by a fox’s tail striking the ground causing trails of sparks which spread to the sky. This limited edition draws on the enchanting colours in this natural light display, and presents a series of frames which seamlessly combine Nordic influences with the brand’s passion for original colour mixes and dedicated craftsmanship. Above: the frames feature discreet colour schemes inspired by the natural “play of lights” – model 2442

‘Northern Lights’ by RES/REI comprises two exclusive optical frames that pay homage to the brand’s iconic designs. The first shape is a refined panto silhouette, embracing a feminine allure, while the second is a rounded form with a faceted upper part that exudes sophistication.

Three unique colour stories have been created for the two shapes featured in the collection. Aurora Green blends shiny greens, deep blues, and vibrant hues inspired by the northern lights for a sophisticated touch. Orchid Twilight captures the aurora’s pink tones, fusing femininity with cutting-edge style. Nordic Sunset evokes the Arctic’s warm sunsets, with pinks and oranges reflecting timeless elegance and modern trends.

RES/REI ‘Northern Lights’ – the collection consists of a limited run of just 100 pieces – above, model 2441

This exclusive collection is identified by a sleek transparent acetate line across the upper edge of the frame, subtly tinted lenses to enhance each unique colourway, and a finely decorated metal inner structure. To find out more visit www.resrei.com

Design & Inspiration

Anne & Valentin x Camille Walala: a collaboration highlight 2024

26th December 2024

The Walaland Concept is a wild and fun collaboration created as a limited edition and launched this season – it demonstrates the artistic success of brand collaborations led by designers who are perfectly in tune

The Walaland concept is one of the latest collections released at Anne & Valentin, collaborating for the first time with the French artist Camille Walala, renowned for her colourful graphic language and giant murals. The frames explore the direct, colourful graphic languages of these two worlds in bold, block-like shapes highlighted by graphic bas-reliefs. The ‘Walaland’ frames are also characterised by asymmetrical temples and colours that pop as much as the shapes. Above: LALA III, an expressive oval design

“Our worlds are very similar; we share the same playful approach and love to play with shapes, circles, squares, and bright colours….” Camille Walala, French artist-designer

LALA 1 by Anne & Valentin x Camille Walala – “more city than countryside. Sculptural. Arty. Sulky. Blasé…..”

The collaboration collection features three models. The sunglasses style LALA 1 is a futuristic arcade pantos with an ultra-geometric form and hyper-structured round eye shape.

LALA 2 by Anne & Valentin x Camille Walala – colours are a highlight in this original collaboration

LALA II is a rectangular ‘bandeau’ style with broken angles and slightly inclined upper sides, rounded at the bottom. The style is dubbed the ideal shape for Luxury parties to glamping and “stepping outside the lines”.

This offbeat collection with bold colour and an expressive character running through every design is now available. Find out more at https://anneetvalentin.com