Design + Inspiration

Fairground Messe München 28th-30th January is the destination for OPTI-Munich (www.opti.de) where global eyewear brands will be showing their latest collections. Optical and sunglass designs with immense variety, stylish flair and quality craftsmanship ensure an adventurous and fulfilling event for attendees.

Among the acclaimed labels participating is SALT. Optics with their stunning new frames that include Anela (above). The pure, minimalistic lines of the frame blend slim acetate with ultra light beta titanium, in a feminine, fluid silhouette. Ocean inspiration provides the gorgeous colour. www.saltoptics.com

Azalea by Oliviero Zanon is from The Flowers collection, elegantly connected to Nature. The subtle retro shape is accented with vintage acetate trims in various colours. Featured above is Azalea in red with marbled accents, and pink with black and white trim. Discover more at www.resrei.com

Danish brand FLEYE will unveil their latest cutting edge sunglasses in Munich. Elson (above) takes centre stage with its architectural form and sharp-edged nose bridge. The distinctive design is crafted in beta-titainium – shown in sleek semi-matt gold. www.fleye.dk

A subtle, lithe butterfly shape gracefully spreads its wings at the first ray of light in Sunbeam by Orgreen. The contemporary shape is sophisticated and feminine, with flattering wide-open lenses – ready to flutter! Explore more beautiful Orgreen designs at www.orgreenoptics.com

JF Rey celebrates thirty years of the designer brand with a reinterpretation of a frame from the 1980’s. Tracks 0065 is a unisex design characterised by its original shape, vintage style and unbridled spirit of the period. The unique frame is worked with striking modernity in new materials, modern technologies, plus chic flat lenses. Tracks – impeccably stylish! www.jfrey.fr JG

Exhilaration! Freedom! Mountain magic! The ski season is a delightful moment to embrace the great outdoors, and enjoy the pleasure of winter sports – from skiing to snowboarding. For comfort and safety, select snow goggles that provide high quality eye protection – as well as super style.

Choices abound with dashing goggle designs that perform brilliantly in a variety of conditions. Bollé has a winner with Y6 (action shot top; close up above) that features photochromic Modulator lenses. For prescription glass wearers, Bollé has a special adaptor insert for their range of goggles. www.bolle.com

Glow in the snow with Götti Switzerland’s colourful goggle. Characteristics of the sleek goggles include an anti-fog system, superb ventilation, plus they are light, durable and comfortable. Crafted from polycarbonate, the goggles feature mirrored lenses in great colours – orange flash (above) and blue flash with a black band. www.gotti.ch

Orgreen’s Tamok goggles – named after Norway’s Tamok Valley, an adventure lover’s paradise near the Artic Circle – fuse functionality with minimalism. Technical advantages include construction in Thermoplastic Polyurethane, and lenses with 100% UV protection. Chic for après-ski too! www.orgreen optics.com

adidas Sport Eyewear have released new ski goggles with cutting edge design, and top notch technology. Progressor S is equipped with a larger spherical double-lens that offers enhanced peripheral vision. Fabulous colours too, that include yellow (above), plus Progressor Blue and Pink, and Backland Silver. More info at www.adidas.com JG

Barcelona is a centre of modern creativity, with a contemporary art, food, design and music scene that has become internationally renowned for its imaginative and consistently avant-garde direction. The appearance of a new young eyewear brand coming into the market at a high level of quality and innovation is therefore unsurprising, but nonetheless makes for an exciting entry given the level of research and design precision interwoven in a product that is functional, light, and technically precise. Startup Lool Eyewear is located in a warehouse studio just behind MACBA and the large open space which hums with skateboarders. Following a single trade fair (Silmo 2016), the label, created by talented product designer Aris Rubio and entrepreneur Alex Carrasco, is already looking at increasing the size of its workshop to accommodate fast-paced international demand since the Paris show. The frames have seen immediate popularity in Barcelona, stocked by leading optical retailers such as Les Lunettes, Bassol and DM Optics.

“Lool is a multidisciplinary studio”, Alex told Eyestylist when we visited the label earlier this month. “We manufacture in series from metal sheets of steel (11R51). They are worked by hand, one by one in a precise technical process, combining the industrial and manual, man and machine.”

Influenced by retrofuturism in the context of disciplines such as architecture and urbanism, Lool has already launched three specific sheet metal stainless steel collections, and a patented screwless hinge – The Hub – which features across their ranges and offers maximum durability and easy assembly. The frames themselves are built with an architectural precision where, for example, material is removed on the inside of the frame, reducing weight and changing the look and general feel when worn. Rubio’s methodology is to study the points of  tension around the front of the frame and take away what is not required from the inside, creating excellent lightness and flexibility in the metal material.

Lool’s three impressive collections – Tectonic, Stereotomic and The Grid, offer a strong starting point for a young team and their position in central Barcelona, where other likeminded designers are working in innovative collaborations, is likely to inspire further success as innovators of the future. Lool Eyewear will show at Opti Munich in January 2017. More information at www.looleyewear.com CN

‘Tis is the season to celebrate; be with loved ones and good friends; and delight in fun-filled festivities. It’s also the perfect time to enhance your holiday fashions with glamorous frames that sparkle and glow. Allow your radiance to shine in LINDBERG’s style 2239 (top image) from the Precious Collection. Eighteen carat rose gold and yellow gold feature in this contemporary form with artisan handcrafting. www.lindberg.com

Unforgettable brilliance heralds Anna-Karin Karlsson’s gleaming design – Lil’ Tears of the Moon. The acetate frame flourishes with pearls and rhinestones – created to make a merry and memorable entrance! www.annakarinkarlsson.com

Birgitte Falvin’s creative skills as a jewellery designer are now embellishing distinctive eyewear. The elegant Subsolar features titanium customised with a smooth surface of matte aubergine and shiny rose gold. The luxurious diamond setting beautifully highlights the delicate cat-eye silhouette of the design. Discover more about the Danish brand at www.falvin.dk

Amarilla by Vera Wang is the ideal accessory for après ski on sunny chalet terraces, or on the sun-drenched sands of the Caribbean. Vera’s latest capsule fashion collection is the inspiration for these sleek sunglasses in luminous acetate, accented with Swarovski crystals at the hinge, and along the top of the temple. www.kenmarkoptical.com JG

The Eyestylist team extends warmest wishes for a Happy and Festive Holiday Season to all our readers and sponsors!