Design & Inspiration

The Barcelona-based eyewear brand has teamed with Arquitectura-G to create a collaboration collection – launched 13th November

In a unique collaboration with Barcelona brand KALEOS, the architecture studio Arquitectura-G applied their design philosophy to eyewear, simplifying geometry and pushing the boundaries of eyewear construction. The resulting capsule collection comprises five 100% titanium frames, handcrafted in Japan. Each frame features an elastic tube for adjustment, designed to offer a comfortable fit for any head size.

The Arquitectura-G x KALEOS collaboration represents a fusion of the two companies’ respective visions, with a keen emphasis on geometric shapes with a clean, structural, minimalistic, monotoned look. The collection will be available to purchase at selected retailers and online at www.kaleoscollection.com

The London show will take place on 24th to 26th February 2024 and promises an extra special event to celebrate 10 years 

100% Optical returns for its 10th edition in February 2024, an optical event which promises an ever wider selection of exhibiting eyewear, contact lens, lens brands and technology companies.

The 100% Optical fair organisers have already confirmed a line-up of independent exhibitors for the 2024 event which will include Frost, Blackfin, Bevel, Morel, Einstoffen, Erker’s 1879, Götti Switzerland, Nina Mûr, Paname, Etnia Barcelona, Erker’s 1879, Kaleos, Kirk & Kirk, Ørgreen Optics, Danielle Rattray, Nikon, Mokki, SALT. Optics and Seiko. Above: Kaleos display of on-trend sunglasses at 100%

Kirk & Kirk are long-time exhibitors at 100%. Their bold, colourful distinctive collections are always among the highlights at the show for those seeking out the latest independent creative eyewear releases with all-round appeal. www.kirkandkirk.com

Across the three-day 100% Optical show,  a myriad of topics and opportunities will be available to opticians, with sessions including keynote lectures, discussion workshops, peer reviews and interactive poster trails across a variety of different hubs. Key education topics will showcase myopia management, advances in clinical imaging, including the role of artificial intelligence, and dry eye disease.

Trends and design directions for the Spring/Summer season are always a favourite topic at 100%, which hosts a popular catwalk show on stage through three days – a fun opportunity for optical retailers in the UK to see a showcase of frames by popular brands and independent designers – close-up.

Götti Switzerland will be a go-to at 100% for those who offer  high-end, premium eyewear in their UK stores. The collections at Götti include state-of-the-art materials such as titanium, buffalo horn and 3d printed glasses, Dimension by Götti – made exclusively in Switzerland. www.gotti.ch

100% Optical arranges the Love Eyewear Awards, with a presentation event hosted during the show, representing a ‘celebration of the sector’ and all that it has to offer. With 13 categories, the Love Eyewear Awards are an opportunity for all exhibitors to take part with a varied choice of categories, including ‘New Designer 2024’, ‘Women’s Sunglasses of the Year’, ‘Unisex Frame of the Year’, ‘Sustainable Frame of the Year’, ‘Best Innovation’ and more. The deadline for submissions for the 2024 awards is 4th December 2023, so there is still time to get involved!

100% Optical also continue to deliver the annual Royal College of Art Competition, a project which encourages RCA students from the department of “Fashion Footwear Accessories Millinery” to explore the world of eyewear and submit designs according to an annual theme. This year, in recognition of the 100% Optical 10th anniversary, the theme is “Perfect 10”. The shortlisted designs will be exhibited at the show. “The students have been asked to build their own 10 principles of good eyewear design,” the show organisers told Eyestylist this week.

“Once again the competition is supported by the Royal College of Optometrists in Craven Street London via Neil Handley. Tom Broughton from Cubitts will also offer advice and materials and expertise. Students will work closely with Steve Bunn in technical workshops hosted in Battersea. He has a track record of working with new eyewear students and makers. Students will also be supported by listening to advice given by eyewear experts like Rocco Barker, frame maker and collector and Frame maker and optician, Lawrence Jenkin alongside Bryan McGinn of De Selby eyewear in Hackney.”

100% Optical 2024 returns to its home at ExCeL in London from 24th to 26th February 2024. Find out more and register here: www.100percentoptical.com Location: ExCel London, Royal Location: ExCel London, Royal Victoria Dock, 1 Western Gateway, LONDON E16 1XL. Eyestylist.com is a Media Partner for 100% Optical.

A new collection from the St. Louis brand pays homage to the Erker’s family founding father

Continuing its tradition of celebrating family heritage through design, the US independent brand Erkers 1879 has created a collection in acetate, inspired by their founder, A. P. Erker and his creativity in the business he founded. The 15 new styles in the collection come in a palette of bright, fresh tones, some of which have never been used before in the collection. The hues are informed by many different types of inspiration, from the ocean and the waves, to the colours of vineyards and night skies. Trending gradient coloration, gentle tinted crystals, and expressive modern combinations ensure that the choices in the collection appeal to many different individual tastes. Above: the new frames in the AP collection have been created in celebration of a rich family history with an inspiring spectacle-making tradition, born in St. Louis

Hand finished and hand polished in a 48-step manufacturing process, model Bridgeton illustrates the attention to detail in colour, design and hardware in the range.  The rounded rectangular eye shape with a delicate cat eye edge offers a pretty, feminine design with thin rims and temples. The frame also boasts authentic “old-school” signature rivets and attractive minutely detailed metal parts at the hinge.

About A. P., founder of Erker’s 1879 – The company’s founder, Adolph P. Erker (A.P.) was a German immigrant who travelled to the United States in the late 1800’s, with the goal of founding his own optical company. In 1879, A.P. established The Erker’s Optical Co. in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. In the years following his founding of the company, A.P. was joined by his brother, August Erker, beginning a familial legacy which continues today. For more information and the history of the brand, visit www.erkers1879.com

Eyestylist Exclusive by Clodagh Norton: The subtle effects of gradient colour in eyewear are beautifully explored in the latest frames. 

Gradient, graduated or ombré colour has long had a place in the eyewear collections, with the effect dating back to favourite decades (1960s and 70s) in the past. The dark to translucent or bright to pastel tonal transitions can offer a striking alternative to classical eyewear colours, and with modern techniques to create variations in intensities and saturation levels, this harmonious expression of colour delivers fresh and flattering contemporary appeal.

Some of the most wearable gradient frame tones on offer play with colourful complementary combinations of hues, informed by current colour directions in all areas of fashion and design. Italian company Blackfin, specialists in high-grade titanium eyewear, who have an established selection of frames in graduated colours to suit men and women, explores lots of variety in the matching of these types of gradient tones. “At Blackfin, we don’t see this as an exclusively seasonal look. We launched the gradient colour concept in 2021, and we keep on offering this effect in every release, choosing the styles with the design which best suits this concept,” explains Francesca Sarinella, Senior Product Manager. Above: Blackfin One – model Bodega Bay

“Currently there are at least six different styles which feature the effect. Our Blackfin R&D Colour Department is continuing to work on the technique in order to offer new tonal combinations and even more elegant and sophisticated versions each time.” Blackfin’s gradient colouring process is carried out exclusively by hand. “The gradient colour is done by hand without any guide on the frame, so you really need the best skills and expertise to ensure every model is made as a unique piece of art”. www.blackfin.eu

J.F. Rey also apply particular expertise and know-how to create their unique tailor-made colour combinations and gradient effects. “This season, the work we are doing in acetate colours is particularly evident in the Metis collection,” explains the J.F. Rey design team. “This line is a celebration of femininity, both modern and glamorous. We carried out elaborate work to create the sensuality of the shapes, the ’emotion’ of colours and materials, with charming shimmering reflections.”

The French company is proud of its tradition of experimental colour, and the fusion of chromatic colour stories in special creative designs. The soft transparencies and subtle gradients in the current line are described as “a way to tone down the strength of the oversized shapes, bringing an aesthetic balance. In Metis, the creative team wanted to express the brand DNA with creative personality through a new stylistic horizon, a fresh look. “The line found the perfect stylistic balance, it plays with large and glamorous shapes, flattering effects, dazzling colours – even in transparencies – and textured detailing.” www.jfrey.fr

At OGI Eyewear this season, a front spray colour gradient effect is used for two key models – making the colour application feel artistic and balanced. “We love the graphic punch of a bright colour at the front as it is subdued with the complimentary colour that cascades to an ombré effect.  It’s the harmonious juxtaposition of bold and subtle making it infinitely wearable with many different outfits,” says David Duralde, OGI Eyewear.  “The colour story becomes  more versatile and more amenable to different looks and expressions. By making the bright less bright and adding a rich mix of colour to the palette, brights become infinitely more wearable with an original twist.”

Eyestylist Exclusive by Clodagh Norton: The Danish company’s evolution of the Thintanium collection promises lightweight comfort and a new aesthetic with acetate rims

Danish eyewear brand LINDBERG have developed their thintanium concept, with a new collection that incorporates acetate rims. The award-winning collection, which was first launched in 2021, now offers styles built with ultra-thin titanium plate fronts and acetate rims. As well as a new aesthetic, the acetate rims also introduce another significant benefit – the ability to mount thinner lenses. By integrating the acetate rims into the frame, LINDBERG enables individuals with high prescriptions to experience lightweight eyewear while maintaining visual clarity. Above: model 5806 in the Thintanium collection