Design + Inspiration

Iggy Pop for Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog

20th May 2022

A new collaboration of distinction / Iggy Pop in Jack Waterlot campaign

An exclusive eyewear edition by Cutler and Gross and British Rock ‘n’ Roll jewellers, The Great Frog, launches today online at www.cutlerandgross.com as Iggy Pop is revealed as the face of the campaign. Photographed by Jack Waterlot in Coral Gables – the musician is seen in close up wearing the sunglass models, TGF rings including the silver rose and skull rings and a thick silver chain. Above: Iggy Pop wears The Crossbones Sunglasses in olive

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Iggy Pop: “These shades say something.”* – The Reaper Sunglasses in a transparent blood-red Bordeaux

The Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog eyewear designs have been created in a complex process of production in Italy with special development of the iconic TGF 925 silver details which are hand cast and appear on fronts and/or temples; the Reaper, Crossbones and Dagger, symbols of The Great Frog. The collection launched comprises five unisex styles; three sunglasses and two opticals in a palette of colours which includes classic black, leaf green and a cool pewter grey. The colleciton is available in Cutler and Gross and The Great Frog stores as well as online. To find out more visit www.thegreatfroglondon.com and www.cutlerandgross.com / Written by Clodagh Norton www.eyestylist.com

Design + Inspiration

Haute Couture eyewear: made in Florence

16th May 2022

FATHER$ON eyewear by couturier designer Clarissa Oliverio – a bridge between past and future

The young couturier designer Clarissa Oliverio has created a collection of haute couture eyewear which features luxury Florentine fabrics and silver jewellery. Shown for the first time in Milan in May 2022, each piece is made by hand in Florence with a strict adherence to old-fashioned artisan design and handcrafting. Oliverio describes her designs as “the first glasses in the world set with the velvets and silk brocades of Florence, handmade with nineteenth-century looms, expertly created by the Master weavers of the historic Lisio Silk Art Foundation, established in 1971 to preserve and pass on the work of the Giuseppe Lisio 1906 Manufactory. This extraordinary foundation possesses looms from the end of the 19th century, and produces silk in the old-fashioned way, with just a few centimetres of fabric being produced in one day. Above: the model ‘Rinascimento Fiorentino’ (Florentine Renaissance) – has a structured design with a flat top in white Mazzucchelli acetate featuring a silver crocodile on the temple and silk brocade insert

Butterfly effect’ by FATHER$ON: oversized and glamorous, this Mazzucchelli acetate frame features silver work on the temples and silk velvet insert

“Our glasses are all handcrafted, as well as their precious decorations,” says Clarissa Oliverio, CEO and Couturier. “In addition to the insertion of velvets and silk brocades handmade with the looms from the late nineteenth century in Florence, our models boast silver jewellery applied to the frame, handcrafted by the well-known Florentine goldsmith Marco Cantini.”

*FATHER$ON eyewear from Florence: model Giglio (Lily) – a bold asymmetrical design with silver jewellery details and silk fabric inlay*

About the brand: FATHER$ON was founded by Clarissa Oliverio and the collection was launched for the first time at MIDO in 2022. Born and raised in Italy in the city of Como, better known as “Lake Como”, of parents who made and traded items in pure silk, Clarissa Oliverio grew up with a natural love of craftsmanship of hand-made silk items; through contact with her family’s workshop, she developed a strong passion and inclination for superior artisan creativity and historic modes of production by hand. In recent years she has dedicated herself to the creation of the FATHER$ON project, which was born as a family start-up. Working with her partner, Emanuele Dani, Florentine by birth, Clarissa has turned her artistic capabilities into a business reality that has been well received by the sector for its originality and style. She says: “Constancy and total dedication and an immeasurable passion for the creation of FATHER$ON eyewear always push us beyond the innumerable difficulties, but also towards the enormous satisfactions that an Italian start-up can encounter. We are Italians who are proud of the artistic history of their country, and we aim to create a link between truly creative design and the Italian excellence of the workmanship that passes between the expert hands of the Italian workshops and the historic ones of Florence.” Find out more: www.fathersonfirenze.com

Design + Inspiration

Gender-fluid frames at VAVA

12th May 2022

Preview opti 2022

Futuristic, monochromatic and built with sustainability at the forefront of their raison d’être, the latest collection from VAVA – which shows this weekend in the ‘opti’ trade fair – proposes gender-fluid sunglass styles with impressive shapes, presented in classical black or white and a calm yet striking fresh tone of aqua ‘haze’. The architectural shapes at VAVA often explore the elimination of superfluous compositional elements and work with minimalist concepts and simplicity with astute attention on technical precision. Above: The new campaign images for VAVA are the work of André Brito, a Porto-based fashion and nude photographer. Pictured, VAVA frame in white: WL0052

VAVA WL0049: a beautifully refined ‘structured’ shape for the face in the new collection – available in European and Asian fitting, sun and optical

The Spring/Summer collection was created in the context of the brand philosophy, – named VAVA THEOREM – which supports the intertwining of the needs of humans and Planet Earth.”It fuses our principles and actions in the pursuit of equilibrium that we are committed to follow. It’s about enhancement of people, protection of the environment, respect of ethical values and promotion of culture.”

VAVA WL0052 in the new colour ‘aqua haze matte’ – the aqua tone can represent balance and stability, as well as peace, growth and energy

VAVA frames are produced in Italy with a careful, modern, and wholly studied approach to sustainable manufacture. The VAVA ideology is to offer a high-quality product that embodies the experience, knowledge and art of the great masters of handmade eyewear. According to the brand, this knowledge is gradually being lost as we live in an era when mass-production flourishes and the use of low-quality materials dominates. VAVA seeks to foster a dialogue between craftsmanship and high-tech solutions.

The core concept of the brand is also closely linked to the “post-industrial” society in which we live. VAVA plays around with people’s imagination and “science fiction”. The creators are inspired by futuristic unisex characters, who have helped to create the minimal silhouette and monochromatic concepts. This unisex philosophy and minimalistic aesthetic – which VAVA believes is the future – are naturally interwoven into the brand DNA. VAVA will exhibit this weekend (13^th to 15^th May 2022) at the trade fair opti in Munich. Find out more at https://vavaeyewear.com

Design + Inspiration

HOET ‘3D printed’ Costume edition expands

1st May 2022

Mido review: a relentless pursuit of innovation with sustainable goals

The HOET Costume collection is said to “remain true to its values” as it launches four new models for the Spring/Summer season. Committed to sustainable vales, the production of HOET frames is on a made to order basis, ensuring that designs are only created in line with demand. By selecting 3D printable materials, this collection supports a more sustainable business model – with the aim of putting a stop to overproduction and unsalable stock.
For the design, in combination with a refined titanium element and a structure that refers to naturally woven materials, the new HOET frames stand out like many of their predecessors, unobtrusive, yet striking in their own way.

Above: U1 is part of the existing Costume collection at HOET – the frame is typical of the line and features a 3d laser printed polyamide frame in black with front in mat or shiny titanium – below, the video presents the very latest editions in the collection, which are characterised by bold architectural titanium structures with the intricate woven effect on the upper rims

“An eyewear frame for personalities with a conscious attitude toward life
who do not want to compromise on aesthetics and comfort…” HOET

HOET has achieved a unique reputation for innovation in eyewear design through an extraordinary 30 years’ history. This new release marks a new chapter in 3D printed design work. For more information visit www.hoet-design.com and www.hoet.be CN

Design + Inspiration

RCA student Maria Nava wins at 100%

27th April 2022

‘Spectral Objects’ recognised for innovative design combining a futuristic concept with modern making techniques and traditional craft

Maria Nava, a second year student studying Fashion – Wearable Technology, has won the RCA x 100% Optical competition in 2022. The competition asked the students to reflect on the past “to see into the future”, using – specifically – repurposed acetate. The brief stated that the eyewear designs needed “to feel good and make us feel good, sexy, attractive, defining who we really are”. They pointed to fit, facial type, head measurements and relevant styles based on head size, prescription and context for the wearer and their lifestyle and habits.” All designs had to be made using the recycled acetate.

Nava’s design was characterised by a structure that fits over the head. The purpose of the artifact, explains the designer of the winning work, was to trigger conversations about our bodies, and question how our identity can morph, change and evolve in a direct relationship to contraction and expansion movements over a human face. The headpiece contracts and expands in three main areas, at the ears, nose and eyes. Freedom is given to the wearer to adjust or modify selected pieces in these three main areas. This allows each individual’s anatomy to fit in but also experience comfort and discomfort.

Maria Nava, RCA – the winner of the RCA x 100% competition in 2022

The designer achieved the flexible structures by combining traditional and modern making techniques such as 3D printing, CNC machining, painted gradients, sculpting and hand finishing.
Upcycled materials such as acetate sheets (from Algha), repurposed acrylic pieces and resins are used in the elaboration of the design piece. For more details about the artist: https://wip2022.rca.ac.uk/students/maria-fernanda-nava-melgar