Design + Inspiration

Chic + characterful: Laurence D’Ari, Antwerp

“Antwerp heart, Italian hands”

Antwerp creator and avid eyewear collector Laurence Bourguignon says she doesn’t follow trends nor does she focus on a specific target group or age. “My designs are an expression of myself and who I am. I can only hope they will be picked up by women with a genuine and self-confident personality, daring to express themselves.”

Named after her father Ari (short for Aristide), the collection remains something of a special ‘secret’ outside Belgium, although it’s stocked in some prestigious optical stores and luxury fashion stores like Azzurro Due (www.azzurrodue.com). Pictured above: model Authentic in Honey – a showpiece in the Laurence D’Ari collection.

Model Spirited by Laurence D’Ari – in Crystal Green

The 8 sunglasses in the 2019 selection – named after characteristics of personalities which the designer admires (they include ‘Devoted’ and ‘Spirited’) are crafted in Italy in rich marble-effect acetates with bold organic or angular oversized forms and retro-infused squares and cat eyes that have characteristic sculptural definition in some details such as a wave effect in the lower edge of the temples, and an open gold temple ring to attach the accompanying gold chain.

Eyewear with charisma: Laurence d’Ari model Devoted in Black Marble

Laurence D’Ari launched in 2018 with focus on strong, charismatic elegant styling inspired by vintage elements, especially for women. The sunglasses are available in selected opticians (including Annys Optiek, De Wilde, Philip Hoet and Frank Props) and several fashion concept stores known for unique designers and luxury apparel. Find the full collection online at www.laurencedari.com CN

Trends: Super square

Big is definitely beautiful when it comes to square frames. This shape has re-emerged in 2019 with bold retro-inspired depth and bulkiness – or a minimalist airiness – in a choice of ingeneous colorations, that beg to be worn as modern statement pieces.

Above: Essedue model Ecstasy in grey from the Italian label’s Prima collection, a handfinished line produced in a family factory in Irpinia near Naples. Prima sunglasses by Essedue are available direct from the Essedue website at www.esseduesunglasses.com

Fuz by Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses

Frames with a classic retro flair are an easy bet for all-year-round styling, and the square designs are already being hyped for SS2020. Model Fuz from Oliver Goldsmith is one that has inspired many other sunglass designs. First created in London in 1966, the frame is still constructed with bold bevelled edges and paddle temples – and comes in lots of new colorways including black leopard (above) and black cherry. www.olivergoldsmith.com

Percy from the Centena Collection by Kirk and Kirk

The UK label Kirk & Kirk always delivers a classic shape with a unique twist. The Percy is one of their acrylic optical styles in the Centena collection, providing a magnificently bold silhouette with the flash of transparent colour that lights up the face. www.kirkandkirk.com

Finest Seven Zero 09 in Burnt Champagne

In contrast, Finest Seven brings on the square with a special super fine structure. Their oversized Zero 09 has a large squareish lens with a neat double bridge. The frame is made of stainless steel wire and fitted with 100% UV 400 high quality Italian lenses. For more details visit www.finestseven.com CN

Japanese eyewear: True Vintage Revival TVR®

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

Summer Festivals: Vinylize at Sziget 2019

Sziget festival has become one of Europe’s summer season musical highlights. Held each year in northern Budapest, the week-long event now attracts over 565,000 visitors and puts on around 1,000 performances. This year, the line up includes singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran, Post Malone and Twenty One Pilots from the US and Martin Garrix, DJ and record producer from The Netherlands.

As in previous years, all of the lead musicians/performers will receive special commemorative sunglasses made by Vinylize, the Budapest vinyl eyewear brand. Above: custom sunglasses by Vinylize await Ed Sheeran this week – where possible Zack Tipton makes the frames from the artist’s own vinyl – in this case he was able to use a copy of ‘Divide’ – Sheeran’s third album.

Gold Foo Fighters logo features on sunglasses for singer-songwriter David Grohl

Vinylize was first commissioned to make sunglasses for Sziget when Zack Tipton, co-founder of the brand, had lunch with Károly Gerendai, the visionary behind the event. Gerendai appreciated the fit between Vinylize and Sziget instantly. After he sold 70% of his stake in the festival in 2018 to a US-based private equity firm, the new organizers saw the value of continuing to work with Vinylize and the relationship continues.

Previous years: Zack and Yulia backstage with Robbie Williams and Ayda Field

The Vinylize team arrives at Sziget the day before the festival begins and stays throughout. “We design and pre-make the sunglasses and take our buffing wheel, thermal equipment to form the frame to the performer’s face and sandpaper for the final touches. Much as we’d love it if the performers dropped into our store for fittings, we work from photographs. 90% of the time our frames fit pretty well, and we just need some minor adjustments.”

For more information about Vinylize music projects and their vinyl eyewear visit www.vinylize.com – Sziget Festival takes place this week through to 13th August 2019. https://szigetfestival.com CN Find out more about Vinylize frames by clicking on our latest link: https://www.eyestylist.com/2019/03/eco-conscious-vinylize-tipton-x-nespresso/

Yi Wen Lim: Soft Power Mono-glass

The Mono-glass is part of RCA fashion graduate Yi Wen Lim’s SOFT POWER project (RCA 2019). SOFT POWER celebrates women at work and represents a new image of power and femininity.

RCA Fashion (Womenswear) graduate Yi Wen Lim has produced a stunning, wearable Mono-glass as part of a finals project entitled SOFT POWER.  The jewellery collection was designed in collaboration with Yi Wen Lim’s close jeweller friend Agatha (Instagram: @raccoonandbabiesofficial), and explores re-appropriating jewellery in the formal workplace. Above: Model Mercedes von Thun-Hohenstein wears Yi Wen Lim’s design 
Mono-glass worn by Mercedes von Thun-Hohenstein

Highlights in the collection include the merging of power pearls with everyday work accessories, stationery and tech wearables – these pieces include a biro pen cap ear cuff, Airpods pearl necklace, ID Badge necklace and the Mono-glass with Hair-clip.

Mono-glass by Yi Wen Lim
“The Mono-glass is inspired by work glasses that women wear, sometimes as a means to establish their intelligence and competence,” says the designer. “It is also inspired by tech accessories like the Google Glass, which perhaps can one day be integrated into more ‘aestheticised’ designs like the SOFT POWER Mono-glass,” she explains.
Mono-glass by Yi Wen Lim
Yi Wen Lim’s friend/muse Mercedes von Thun-Hohenstien (www.mercedesvonthun.com) wore the monocle design at the RCA finals presentation in London in June – and immediately caught our eye. “I found her through Instagram @mvthun21,” said Yi Wen Lim. “She is a mature model, and has been very generous with her time and support for me. She has modelled for my presentations and for video and photoshoots. We have become close over the past few months, and we are now great friends.” For more information about Yi Wen Lim’s work visit her page on Instagram – @__wenlim. Other RCA posts on Eyestylist: https://www.eyestylist.com/2016/12/rca-x-100-optical/ CN