Design + Inspiration

Dreary, cold, damp winter days bring thoughts of warm, tropical environments; a sunny ambience: rest, relaxation, and fun! Fashion designers salute and celebrate the Resort/Cruise season with stunning outfits, and eyewear creators ensure ensembles are memorably complete with glamorous sunglasses. Treat yourself to new and ravishing sun specs with exceptional quality; tech-savvy materials; sleek styling; and glorious colours. American designer Zac Posen launches new sun styles that include Dolly (top image), a charming and appealing acetate cat eye with trendy narrow proportions in Peach fade – a colour that harmonises with a glowing suntan. www.kenmarkeyewear.com

Resort holidays and clothing have a distinct and notable glamour – so do sunglasses! Express your inner diva in this charismatic design  – style 039 C1 – by Sol Sol Ito in Switzerland. The voluminous square shape in two-tone acetate with surgical stainless steel sides is bold, adventurous, and irresistible. www.solsolito.com

FLEYE Copenhagen’s Flowers of Denmark campaign enlivens sunglass designs that are expertly crafted in stunning new acetate patterns and colourations. The multiple-award winning Danish label endorses graphic elements, as seen in Cloud (above). The sun style is among seventeen new designs from FLEYE’s Signature collection. www.fleyecopenhagen.dk

Seductive sunglasses by Anna-Karin Karlsson are expressive and dramatic. Voluminous and finely sculpted in acetate, Bang Bang Baby makes an alluring impression in subtle colourations and 24-caret gold plating with twinkling crystals on the sides. www.annakarinkarlsson.com

One of the most elegant and classical materials in eyewear is Indian Water Buffalo Horn. Delirious Eyewear, luxuriously crafted in Italy under the watchful eyes of founder Marco Lanero, utilises ethically sourced Buffalo Horn. Their sunglasses manifest generous proportions and uncluttered lines. Quality Zeiss lenses with reflective coatings ensure beauty as well as sun protection. www.deliriouseyewear.com

For Resort and Cruise – and visions of a glorious, sun-drenched summer – JF Rey in Marseille presents a beautiful alloy frame with stylistic details and aesthetics of refined metal craftsmanship, plus gold engravings that distinguish this silhouette. www.jfrey.com JG

Countdown to the opening of opti19 in Munich is only a few days away. Eager visitors are able to view imaginative, innovative, and stylish eyewear at the three-day event that takes place 25th-27th January, at the Munich Fairground. The exhibitors this year are irresistible and exuberant as designers and companies from around the globe showcase their creativity and ingenuity with fascinating eyewear. Inspiration and imagination for sleek and sophisticated eyewear spring from many sources.

Birgitte Falvin at Falvin Eyewear is captivated and enamoured with the streamlined beauty of The Crystal Building in Denmark.  The elegant structure derived from its light, crystalline form rests only on a single point and single line – with commanding views of the Kalvebod Bygge waterfront. She has integrated this vision into her new collection of cutting-edge designs, including Zodiac (top image) combined with artisan components, and Japanese craftsmanship. Schmidt Hammer Lassen, an international architectural firm acknowledged for their distinctive buildings, libraries and art galleries, designed the environmentally-friendly structure. Discover FALVIN at opti in Hall C1 Stand 516. www.falvineyewear.com

An innovative application of 3D printing united with the airiness of rimless, creates a sophisticated interplay of finesse and elegance in Perspective BOLD from Götti Switzerland. The designs have unique character with the silky-matte 3D trim combined with lens transparency. The frame is constructed without soldering and screws. Gorgeous colours too! Learn more about Perspective BOLD in Hall C1 Stand 126. www.gotti.ch

Karmoie interprets the Japanese art of Origami with its decorative shapely contours. The artisan independent Norwegian label crafts fine acetate into a sleek silhouette that is particularly effective for small faces. Shown in Nimbus, Origami is also available in four additional colours that reflect the beauty of Norwegian waters and forests. Karmoie is in Hall C1 Stand 632 www.karmoie.com

Vinylize Eyewear in Budapest presents their latest innovation in frames with a Special Edition crafted from AC/DC’s 2009 Black Ice album. The specs feature a layered interior lamination visible only when viewed from certain angles. Visit Vinylize at opti in Hall C2 Stand 629, and see their complete collection of creative eyewear crafted with vinyl records. www.vinylize.com

Soft, spring green is elegantly infused onto Monoqool’s chic design – Tattoo. Advanced technology with innovative 3D printing and high fashion, creatively unite with Monoqool’s launch of twelve sleek optical styles they are presenting at opti. The frames are featherweight, crafted without screws for the ultimate in comfort and durability. The Danish brand offers a unique selection of shapes and colours – discover them all in Hall C2 Stand 635. www.monoqool.com

Hints of champagne – little bubbles reminiscent of the effervescent sparkling drink – cheerfully accent Mille + 64 from theo in Belgium. Eight different and dynamic colours highlight the panto shape in stainless steel. See the entire Mille +64 collection and other ingenious and visionary theo designs in Hall C2 Stand 330. www.theo.be

Luxury metals, dramatic shapes, and comfort embrace the finely crafted designs by Jesse Stevens and Ainjali Fine at Finest Seven. The glamorous designs were photographed in the cult bar “Bananas” in Barcelona (above) including Zero 17: distinguished and impressive aviator with gold mirrored lenses, and on-trend double bridge. Visit Finest Seven at opti Munich in Hall C1 Stand 125. www.finestseven.com

Tortoiseshell frames in fabulous new colourations encapsulate the appeal of a material that is treasured in eyewear designs. Claire Goldsmith’s optical collection includes three new striking tortoiseshell variations with Robinson – Green, Blue, and Black. The contemporary, sleek shape is also ideal for sunny conditions with the addition of a polarised sun clip, to enjoy the mystique of a commanding design statement. Both Claire Goldsmith and Oliver Goldsmith optical and sun creations can be discovered in Hall C1 Stand 222. www.clairegoldsmith.com

The beautiful “Flowers in Denmark” campaign by FLEYE Copenhagen, unveils the summer version with stunning styles, lovely flower-related engravings and subtle colourations. Among the new optical designs is Himmel, with its intriguing, flattering angles. The entire FLEYE collection will be on display at opti in Hall 1 Stand 619. www.fleyecopenhagen.com

For a spirited display of eyewear, opti Munich is the place to be – and to be seen – this weekend – 25th-27th January. More details at www.opti.de JG

At the 100% fair in London, the UK showcase for all things optical, the year kicked off with diverse eyewear statements, bountiful colour and a mix of individual collections and new accessories that suggest an eclectic trend forecast for the year. It was a chance for some smaller labels to launch and be seen in the UK, alongside annual exhibitors and historic eyewear companies that have a strong and established following in the UK.

Above: model Bert in corn, from The Centena Collection by Kirk & Kirk, eye-catching shapes and dynamic colours. The brand has just launched their new campaign. www.kirkandkirk.com

Accessories label Le Kevin, by Michele Quastel, launched a range of colourful unisex leather glasses holders at 100% Optical. The materials featured range from 100% luxury leather to vegan leather-look designs. This is a lovely practical wearable accessory, that would make an ideal gift. We expect to see much more of this brand in the months ahead: www.lekevin.co.uk

Von Arkel is a luxury eyewear company from Switzerland, established in Europe, and ready to expand into new markets. With contemporary style, the company has developed their own technical hinges inspired by Swiss watchmaking. New innovations are coming for 2019…keep an eye on www.vonarkel.com

The quirky cateye is still enjoying a revival, and judging by the examples we saw in London, many new versions are coming in 2019, in metal or in acetate, in classic or bright tones. This narrow model Ezra by Andy Wolf stood out as a nice choice for those who love the classic colorations and the upswept feature of this glamorous feline classic. www.andywolf.com

The rise in interest in ecological brands, as concerns heighten over the devastating effects of plastic waste, was evident at 100% Optical with several exhibitors showing a sustainable focus including BIRD, Pala Eyewear and Sea2See. The founder of Sea2See –  Francois van den Abeele – has created his own eyewear material out of recycled ocean plastic collected from the Catalan coast. The injection molded frames are made in Italy and offer a simple minimal design with classic colours which include havana and matt black. More details at www.sea2see.org

The Royal College of Art Design competition – run in a collaboration with 100% Optical – celebrated optical talent and achievement with six finalists showing creative eyewear projects for the future.  Annie Foo came first in the design competition with ‘Party on Face’, using music and fashion as expression and making glasses light up and flash in time to music.

100% Optical returns from 25-27th January 2020. For more information visit www.100percentoptical.com CN