Design + Inspiration

opti 2023: a positive start to the year

17th January 2023

Healthy attendance and an interesting and broad choice of brands and design collections at opti – in total 307 exhibitors – were encouraging signs of optimism in the optical business at the start of the year.

opti munich, a key trade show for the optical business, took place last weekend over three days. Brands and eyewear designers from around the world exhibited at the fair, which put special focus on sustainability and ‘innovation for optics & design’. The fair also supports new brands via the OPTI BOXES, where a number of emerging names were featured, including Raydiant Cologne and Leipzig Eyewear.

Above: Luxury, high-quality and technical collections were well represented across the halls of opti: Blackfin had just launched their new campaign on the eve of the opti show, underlining colour stories and a bold statement style, www.blackfin.eu

Bionic by Götti Switzerland: 3D printed eyewear and new vegan leather eyewear case

Bionic 3D printed eyewear was launched by Götti Switzerland alongside their brand new vegan eyewear case, made from a vegan leather produced in Europe. The case, which is made at Götti HQ, folds in two different ways so the customer can choose how they want it and the optician can arrange it according to their preferences. www.gotti.ch

Max by Lafont Paris – Issy & LA collection – transparent colours are still a big feature in eyewear

New colour stories were very much in evidence across the halls of opti, with many fresh and beautifully rendered directions, from transparencies to runway-oriented colours such as neons, and fashion colours such as digital lavender.

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

Silencio by Emmanuelle Khanh: “an elevated aura of glamour”

Emmanuelle Khanh showed their new styles which included frames with a new bold EK logo to add glamour and attitude to the range. Their yellow Silencio is a beautiful statement for Summer.

Pontet’s Gaia in lilac – close to the much hyped digital lavender shade

A palette of new yellows was very popular in some of the most fashion focused collections as were the ranges of very chic neutrals – recycled patterned materials (www.regrind.se) have become a feature of the innovative material offer in independent eyewear and were well represented at opti this month, alongside the strong selection of quality 3D printed frames (see below, ROLF Spectacles and a brand new limited edition) and luxurious, natural wood and horn designs.

Rolf Spectacles: a limited edition 3D printed set by the Austrian brand featured a touch of neon for the first time

The second opti BOX AWARD was won by the Swiss brand LARS Brillen – a start-up making 3D printed frames highlighting timelessness and sustainability. LARS Brillen is the second winner of the prize following eyewear designer Beate Leinz, who won the first opti BOX AWARD in 2022. opti 2024 will take place on 12th to 14th January, at the Fairground Munich. www.opti.de

Design + Inspiration

Pushing boundaries in gold: EOE Eyewear handmade luxury

13th January 2023

The eyewear creators from Swedish Lapland, EOE Eyewear are launching the Eternity collection at opti (Munich), a new departure for the brand exploring the natural qualities of gold

Sophisticated, strictly handmade in all their elegant details, and pushing boundaries in their work with gold frames: the new luxury collection, Eternity fuses fine materials with inspiration from the twisted shapes of the branches of trees, and is completely handmade by a jeweller in a small village in Swedish Lapland called Lannavaara.

At the heart of the concept, EOE Eyewear references the story that all the gold on our planet is believed to have been created, and fallen to Earth, when two dead stars collided in space: a finite metal with much mystery connected to it. The Eternity Collection is informed by this story and all that gold and its history stand for, with the ambition, say the creators, of creating a unique place in the frame wearer’s heart. Above: model Crater – one of three stunning gold models by EOE Eyewear

“At EOE, the material we create our frames from is always a guiding light in the entire process, and there is something both full, raw and beautiful about the gold that has attracted us for a long time. With this collection, we get to take everything we stand for to its peak –with a sustainable material, world-class craftsmanship and design inspired by the nature found in Swedish Lapland…” – Camilla Lindberg, Creative Director at EOE Eyewear

EOE Eyewear’s Eternity collection is handcrafted in gold

The three 18K gold glasses shapes in the collection – Milkyway, Andromeda and Crater – come with equally astounding hand-blown cases, designed by Lisa Reiser from Studio Reiser, made in Kosta Boda.”This is an exclusive collection, and we want to pay tribute to everything it stands for. It felt important that the glasses should rest in a special and slightly mysterious place at home,” says Camilla.

To find out more, find EOE Eyewear at opti at Hall C2 / Stand 261 and visit their website at https://eoe-eyewear.com

Design + Inspiration

Preview / opti 2023: new releases announced

11th January 2023

The New Year opens with opti 2023, taking place this weekend in Munich. The fair will be a chance to view a wide range of new eyewear products and reunite with friends and colleagues in the industry

As the industry looks forward to meeting up at opti 2023, creative eyewear company are preparing to reveal new collections and innovative products in Munich, at an event incorporating premium brands, newcomers, start-ups and some of eyewear’s favourite designers and ‘visionaries’.

The fair programme will focus on the themes of myopia management and sustainability for visitors, in recognition of the value of these topics for the year 2023. The key trends for the new season will also be underlined, among them colour and material directions – the organisers are highlighting, among other trends, Transparency, Athleisure Eyewear, Metal Frames, and Colour Gradients.

The event will also host the opti BOX award 2023, for young innovative labels on Saturday 14th January 2023. The award’s criteria include “Innovation”, “Design & Function” and “Sustainability”.

Above: The French eyewear brand Lunettes Alf will show at the Wolf Continental stand, Hall C2 / Stand 561 – Alf has made a name for itself in Germany and Austria – the brand offers timeless classics in elegant, beautifully finished, acetate colours

Kaledo by FACE A FACE – daring combinations and artistic shapes

FACE A FACE promises an array of refreshing, desirable colour proposals, with kaleidoscopic colour effects (model Kaledo), and elegantly sculpted two-tone and three-tone designs. The new models extend the concepts informed by the Memphis movement which were first released in Paris in 2022. For opti, find FACE A FACE with Design Eyewear Group at Hall C2 / Stand 661.

Optical Poplar II in gold by Article One

Article One exhibit with their sister company l.a.Eyeworks at Hall C1 / Stand 347 this week. They have introduced a series of fine everyday metal designs into the main line collection; they will also show their Active Sunglasses Range, a tasteful and timeless athleisure-oriented, sports-inspired range that leads the way in quality-driven, technically atuned eyewear suited to sporty, design-oriented individuals who love outdoor pursuits.

Gotti BIONIC – showing for the first time at opti

Götti Switzerland is introducing BIONIC at opti, a new sustainable collection inspired by nature. The glasses are 3D printed from a single sustainable material created from castor beans.

A new hinge, inspired by human ball-and-socket joints, is featured. The eyewear has been systematically pared down to the front piece and a pair of temples, with no additional screws or other aids used for the hinge. By streamlining to a single material, the company claims to have optimized their eyewear manufacturing with short transport distances, less energy consumption, and straightforward recycling. Visit the stand at Hall C2 / Stand 681 to see the new styles.

BAARS has announced a new collection called Manifeste, which mirrors the architectural concept of the Pompidou centre by Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers. The new products based on this unique inspiration will be shown for the first time at opti at Hall C1 Stand 650.

opti takes place from 13th to 15th January 2023 at the Fairground Munich. For further details visit http://www.opti.de

Design + Inspiration

A new departure for PFB …with Linda Farrow

9th January 2023

PFB (Peoples from Barbados) launch a collaboration edition with Linda Farrow

Inspired by the colourful sunsets of the Caribbean islands, a new edition created in a collab between eyewear brand, Linda Farrow and PFB, has been launched in Barbados at EYE Q Stylist Opticians.

The Special Edition, offered as sunglasses or blue light blocking glasses, represents a glamorous contemporary design where a fusion of the chic and soulful Bajan spirit and Caribbean colour palette of PFB with the fine quality and luxurious design excellence of Linda Farrow has been fully expressed.

Linda Farrow x PFB: launched at an event at EYE Q Stylist Opticians, Barbados

A unisex shape, based on a timeless iconic Linda Farrow design, the frame has been released in three unique Bajan colorations with fronts in tortoiseshell, midnight blue, or sand-toned crystal. The glamorous, eye-catching sunset gradient tones adorn thick statement acetate temples, inspired by three different moments during the colourful setting of the Caribbean sun. For more information visit www.peoplesfrombarbados.com Find out more about Peoples from Barbados on Eyestylist – https://www.eyestylist.com/2020/12/oversized-glasses-peoples-from-barbados/

Design + Inspiration

RES/REI Eyewear: exploring the artistry of small details

28th December 2022

The 10-year old Italian label RES/REI has explored new details, adding to the unique qualities of their artisan frames

Exquisite combinations of colour, particular, jewellery-like details and inlays and playful unexpected contrasts between transparent crystal and solid acetate finishes: RES/REI’s latest collections offer a spectacular mix of details and hand-finished flourishes which present in a collection that is unlike any other. The frames are treated as individual pieces like works of art, with many iterations on different inspirational themes and evocative palettes of acetate colours – some revealing two and even three custom colours, fused creatively together in one single design. Above: RES/REI’s Oliviero Zanon photographed at Silmo 2022 – photo by Amanda Sellem.

Details: model Biancospino (in Italian, Hawthorn) from the Flowers collection by RES/REI Eyewear – version with unique gold metal inlay

Released at Silmo 2022, model Biancospino illustrates the finesse of temple details, where attention to the smallest elements has a jewellery-like expression and elegant richness. The frame is part of the Flowers collection, which references the shapes and colours of nature’s flora and fauna.

“Our focus has always been developing a style that expresses our personal and detailed point of view. Our commitment remains to manufacture frames with innovative aesthetic solutions that are an expression of a contemporary luxury, handmade in Italy with love….”