Design + Inspiration

Eyewear news: theo collaborates with Floran Polano

June 9th 2025

The eyewear label joins forces with Floran Polano, a master’s student at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp

The Belgian eyewear designers theo have teamed up with fashion designer Floran Polano to create the larger-than-life frames, inspired by Polano’s graduation collection at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. The frames were 3D printed and reflect the poetic, melancholic tone that the designer wanted to create, bringing to life his design philosophy “constructed beauty” in womenswear. According to the eyewear company, such a collaboration offers a rare opportunity for “transformation and critical reflection.” Above: Polano collection and eyewear / photo by © Sieme Hermans

Eyewear news: New work by the fashion designer in collaboration with theo eyewear / *Photography by Sieme Hermans*

Floran Polano has already attracted attention in the fashion industry. In 2o24 he appeared on the cover of Vogue China and Numero Netherlands. He previously received the Artos Award for his innovative approach to fashion design.

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

Floran Polano – *photography by Sieme Hermans*

Floran Polano: exotic and sculptural sunglasses design – the collection began with a song lyric, *“Hey mama, don’t you see, your boy’s wrapped up in this strangled silk.” Photography by Sieme Hermans*

The designs by Polano are on view at the Fashion Academy Graduation Show, June 2025. For more information visit www.theo.be and @floranpolano on Instagram. To find out more about theo on www.eyestylist.com visit https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/06/theo-collaborates-with-floran-polano/

All imagery provided by kind permission of the photographer + theo.be. Photography by Sieme Hermans

Design + Inspiration

Diffuser Tokyo: new eyewear accessories

June 2nd 2025

The Japanese accessories maker Diffuser Tokyo rethinks design of useful accessory products

Diffuser Tokyo, the Japanese accessories brand that is leading the way in innovation and design of optical accessories, has added to its collection this season with new products. The additions include a screwdriver and case and a maintenance brush with case. In summary, these niche products are the result of careful research to produce useful items for the optical retailer and their customer, designed according to the traditions of Japanese craftsmanship in the highest quality specialist materials.

Above: a new refined “craftsmanship collection box” for three frames / produced in collaboration with SOMÈS Saddle, a highly regarded leather factory in Sunagawa City. Hokkaido. It is the only company in Japan that manufactures fine-quality equestrian products. (It also produces for the Imperial Household Agency). SOMÉS Saddle is renowned for its high-quality manufacturing technology. Moreover, this elegant leather storage item for eyewear is available in black / dark red, tan / mint green and dark green / brown.

Diffuser Tokyo – screwdriver and maintenance brush – new products in the range

As noted, the screwdriver and maintenance brush are the latest items to be added into the accessories collection at Diffuser Tokyo. Like products created to clean and preserve high quality leather shoes, the screwdriver has been created to help eyewear enthusiasts take good care of their eyewear. It comes with two interchangeable blades, and is updated in high-hardness high-speed steel. For everyday convenience, this screwdriver comes with an attractive coloured case in Ultra suede. The choice of colours includes black with off-white, beige with caramel and red purple with dark brown.

Diffuser Tokyo – beautiful, high-quality presentation

Additionally, the maintenance brush, also provided in a sleek Ultra suede case, is well proportioned and easy to carry. Produced by a specialty brush maker from Kumano Town, Hiroshima Prefecture, who produce calligraphy, paint, make-up and other speciality brushes, the eyewear brush, which features goat hair, has been created for the removal of small particles of dust which often remain around the rim of the lens. The brush shape is optimized for reaching fine areas and removing dust effectively. Of course, in addition to optical lenses, it is also suitable for other precise cleaning needs such as cleaning camera lenses and other specialised applications. To see more products in the line visit https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/06/eyewear-accessories-update-2025/

Find out more at www.diffuser-tokyo.com

Design + Inspiration

TVR®504SP 8mm European Edition: a collector’s Limited Edition

May 27th 2025

A Limited Edition of just 99 pieces is announced by the Japanese label, TVR®OPT

A celebration of European elegance through Baroque inspiration, opulent, refined and created thanks to time-honoured Japanese expertise in traditional spectacle-making: the TVR®504SP 8mm European Edition is a refined tribute to design and craftsmanship; based on the iconic TVR®504 Classic JD, the frame is enriched with a sterling silver nose pad and 14K gold-plated metal core that reflect the grandeur of 17th-century art and architecture. Above: TVR®504SP 8mm European Edition, which comes as an exclusive set including a 50mm TVR clip-on – the style is based on the JD shape which was first introduced by TVR in 2013

“The TVR®504SP 8mm European Edition brings together European style and Japanese craftsmanship. With a new 50mm size, sterling silver nose pad, gold-plated core, and a special clip-on, each of the 99 frames is carefully handmade over 23 months. It’s a rare design that shows quiet luxury and timeless detail.” — Eizo Onami, Head of Production / President, TVR®OPT

TVR®OPT fine packaging for the new Limited Edition frame with clip-on

The frame front is made from custom-dyed 8mm Japanese Zylonite acetate, creating a unique transparent black effect that reveals different depths under light. The Clear Crystal temples are layered with 1mm black acetate, originally exclusive to the KURO Series and specially requested by TVR®OPT Europe—enhancing the frame’s rarity and sophistication.

The gorgeous details include sterling silver rivets which are left uncoated to allow them to patinate over time, a 14K gold-plated core wire and gold washes on the hinges, among other surprising features like the lightweight clip with greyish-blue polarised lenses. The development of the transparent black acetate took eight months, followed by an additional fifteen months of meticulous handcrafting in Sabae, Japan. 3D spear rivets—designed to catch and reflect light like diamonds—and the sterling silver TVR®OPT logo at the temple tips complete the look, whilst “achieving an ideal balance of aesthetics and weight distribution”. Find out more about the brand at our interview on the link https://www.eyestylist.com/2023/07/tvr-opt-japan-an-interview-with-the-master-craftsmen/ and more on the collections at the TVR®OPT website, www.tvropt.com

Design + Inspiration

Barbara McReynolds, l.a. Eyeworks, 1946-2025

May 26th 2025

l.a. Eyeworks has announced the death of Barbara McReynolds, co-founder/designer of l.a.Eyeworks. She was 78.

McReynolds was born on 26th December, 1946, in Huntington Beach, California. Co-founders of l.a. Eyeworks, McReynolds and Gai Gherardi first met each other in the halls of the surf city’s eponymous high school, the pair bonding instantly over folk music and eyewear.

Glasses were an obsession for both. So much so that a teen McReynolds with 20/20 vision faked an eye exam, and, after months of taxing her optometrist to find the perfect frames, scored a job in his office. When the doctor opened a branch near UC Irvine in 1965, McReynolds hooked up Gherardi with employment there.

When the duo opened the Melrose “mothership” on 9th September, 1979, McReynolds, in an interview, recalled: “We embraced the impulsive energy of those times. There was a big shift going on, and we were happily playing on the fringe as our image came into being. The store was the cauldron where we could cook up our ideas freely.” The innovative frontier of l.a.Eyeworks was made evident in window displays that rarely showed glasses, and instead, featured thought-provoking, double-entendre messages, and site-specific installations with commissioned artists, characterised by offbeat humour, agitprop, and celebration of the absurd to comment on culture, gender, and socio-political topics. Many of l.a.Eyeworks’ signature catchphrases – Uncensored Visions, Keep Fishing, Elect to Think, See Through Walls – had their genesis in the window culture of the Melrose Avenue flagship.

Within months of opening, they submitted a sketch to a French eyewear maker: a classic silhouette that nodded to sunglasses worn by southern California lifeguards. They christened the unisex style “The Beat.” Hundreds of influential, original frame designs in expressive colourways have followed, made in Europe and Asia according to the highest standards in the marketplace.

In 1984, a wholesale division, Eyeworks 3, launched with founding partner Margo Willits and an office in France, to distribute the line to independent optical boutiques worldwide.

McReynolds and Gherardi were both members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Their distinctive frames have been exhibited at the London Design Museum, the London Craft Council, the Los Angeles Craft Museum, the London College of Fashion, and the Chicago Athenaeum, among others. For the first time in its history in 1991, the Stanford Conference on

Design acknowledged l.a.Eyeworks’ optical designs under the industrial design category—an important break for the founding duo and for the eyewear industry. In 1992, they received the Gold Award for product design from International Design Magazine. The brand’s credits in Hollywood and music are significant, including cult classics such as “Thelma and Louise” and “The Matrix.” But it’s the shopfront’s representation, albeit apocalyptic, in Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” that continues to send fans emailing the company to this day.

Forays into creative collaborations have proven limitless, from programming to architecture to merchandising. In contrast to Gorman’s high-contrast, timeless portraits, l.a.Eyeworks launched the Technicolor “Uncensored Visions” ad campaign in 2019. Shot by LA lensman Josef Jasso, it has featured electroclash artist Peaches, drag star Murray Hill, theremin virtuoso Armen Ra, and LA punk icon Alice Bag.

Catherine Opie, Barbara Kruger, Isaac Julien, and, most recently, Gabriela Ruiz are among the established and rising artists whose work appears among the annual collector series of lens cleaning cloths, first put in motion in 2009.

“Barbara and Gai’s vision for l.a.Eyeworks was to build an endlessly expansive, independent platform for the exploration of ideas from all directions,” notes Margo Willits, International Sales Manager and founding partner of l.a.Eyeworks. “The locus of that dream was eyewear; but the vision was ecstatically 360 degrees, and it will be truly exciting to watch l.a.Eyeworks grow and evolve into the future.”

That future nears as the company readies a new retail flagship in a campus-like setting on Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood – slated to open in June 2025. An open house event to honour the lives and legacy of both l.a.Eyeworks co-founders (Gai Gherardi passed away eight weeks ago on 16th March 16, 2025 https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/03/gai-gherardi-l-a-eyeworks-1946-2025/) is scheduled for Saturday 14th June. Find more details at www.laeyeworks.com

Photography credit: Karin Levitas

Design + Inspiration

Key Spring/Summer 2025 Trends: lightweight metals

May 19th 2025

Lightweight metal frames with contemporary flair are one of the mainstays in eyewear this year. The sleeker constructions with particular details and innovative colours are perfect style choices for a summer re-fresh…

Metal specs tick lots of boxes this season. As well as key qualities of comfort and lightness, subtle colours and interesting design features are ensuring these types of glasses are perfectly on trend. Colour is a particular highlight as designers explore special combinations such as tone-on-tone pairings as well as more classical gold and silver detailing (the finesse of luxury metal finishes is sought after this year). For shapes, the choice is extremely wide, with aviator styles and shapes exploring angular detailing being particularly sought after – while details, for bridges and temples, are absolutely essential for a perfectly stylish finish to the frame. Above: the new models by Ahlem – in the Paris collection, a luxury metal series that uses stainless steel and luxury finishes such as 22K gold and palladium, www.ahlemeyewear.com

Sleek metal aviator designs are always in vogue and this year they are popular for men and women alike. The Drexel model by Erker’s is a take on the iconic aviator shape, produced in stainless steel. The frame is quite oversized with a squarish eye shape and attractive and sleek double bridge. Find out more at www.erkers1879.com

JF3072 by J.F. Rey – from the Allure of Metal collection

The woman’s frame JF3072 is from the French label J.F. Rey. The finnesse of the metal shape fuses with a bright colour combination to create an expressive design with bags of personality.

Each design in this collection, Allure of Metal, which includes 11 colourful graphic metal models, combines two or three shades, carefully juxtaposed and hand applied. This creates a bold chromatic effect, a typical trait of this brand. For more details: www.jfrey.fr

Titanium is also a key material in this segment. A sheet titanium frame style like Powerage – produced by Ørgreen Optics – is highly technical – requiring 100 different processes and specialist design work. The frame combines 100% pure titanium and beta-titanium for wearer comfort and offers a minimalistic style with chic contemporary colourations. www.orgreenoptics.com

Point Reyes by Italian eyewear producer, Blackfin

Blackfin Pacific is a collection developed for the qualities of lightness and comfort, with styles like the Point Reyes created from 3mm block titanium – for the front, paired with ultraflexible 0.5mm beta titanium temples. Blackfin applies the colour by hand, to attain a sophisticated and elegant finish. This frame comes in a choice of colours from green with gold temples to blue with shiny silver temples. www.blackfin.eu