EYESTYLIST EXCLUSIVE: ‘Extraordinary essentials’ by renowned eyewear designer David Rose
A new line of hand-finished sunglasses and optical frames is launched by California-based designer David Rose (formerly, designer + co-founder of SALT. Optics) whose enduring passion for eyewear creation and timeless design is once again manifested in modern classics, designed for enjoyment, comfort – ‘to see life clearly’. Above: ROSE & CO launched in the US this summer with 5 unisex styles suited to sun lenses or optical lenses – pictured, sunglass style A4 in olive – a diaphanous colour palette includes tones of cedar, juniper, olive and light stone
“Each piece is created with personal touches to infuse character and individuality into the wearer’s essential, everyday objects. Our approach to design is organic, deliberate, and inspired, because we believe good design is curated through great consideration…” David Rose, ROSE & CO
French eyewear style: Meg Eyewear
Eyewear for all seasons, and all outfits
Frames that are less about trend and more about longevity with timeless appeal are essentials to any wardrobe. Think classic, but look for a twist in the colour, proportions or details, something that’s intriguing enough to capture your unique look, and beautifully handfinished, so that it lasts several (or many) years. Above: the French label Meg Eyewear’s artisan collection offers key pieces with real versatility – a fine acetate material will stand out in the crowd
Model Hortense by Meg Eyewear offers a classic look with a touch of the extraordinary: the angular shape and balanced form pair with the signature bridge found across this collection which is handmade in Oyonnax, one of the traditional spectacle-making spots in the Jura in France.
A shape with individuality and bold expression, such as the Camille by Meg Eyewear, in easily translatable colours (classics like black, white or tortoise) is an ideal partner for any season and any classic or casual apparel style that you need to upgrade and make your own.
About Meg Eyewear : Mégane Jeanmaire Dit Cartier is a young optician from Cognac, in Charente, France. Her love for fashion, interiors and travel, led her to a profession that would give her freedom to express her creativity and taste for good design.
After training, Mégane qualified in design and spectacle making in 2015 with a “Bachelor lunetier créateur” from l’Institut Supérieur d’Optique de Bordeaux”. Her work experience at the end of the year with the Australian design company Jono Hennessy was a turning point, she says : « Why don’t you design yourself ? » The idea took form, and with a little support from the Rotary Club in Cognac she launched herself as an luxury eyewear designer a few months later. Find more about the artisan brand at www.megeyewear.com
Eyestylist exclusive: Cinematic chic at Fleye Copenhagen
New inspiration at the Danish label, delving into the world of the silent movie
Silent Noise, a new line launching this month at the Danish design label Fleye Copenhagen, is born out of exciting inspirational ideas drawn from the life and personality of silent movie actress, Asta Nielsen (known most often as Die Asta). Nielsen was a leading lady in the cinema in the 1910s – she moved to Germany to pursue her successful career, and was also a real fashion icon of her time. She had dark brown eyes and hair, and became famous for her diva-like, colorful and expressive character, on and off screen.
The designers took a trip down memory lane to the post-war era which brought them to their inspiration. By visualizing Nielsen and the diva lifestyle she lived for many years, they experimented with shattered glass – a symbol of champagne glasses, and shadows and feathers to capture the mood of the silent movies and the actress’s story, “without words”.
Inspired by movie posters of the era, and the work with the inspirational environment, the new colorways and engravings are expressive and beautiful – sometimes contrasting in colour and expression. A few designs have a solid dark front with a colorful contrasting back, while others are feminine but powerful – almost oversized, or thinner with a strong character; each one a symbol of Asta Nielsen’s person and memserising way of life. For more information: www.fleye.dk
Ultra thin, and ultra light at LINDBERG
Thintanium is the new award-winning star in the LINDBERG collections
Adding to its already extensive design portfolio, the Danish luxury eyewear brand’s new product concept thintanium offers an array of patent-pending minimalist eyewear designs with remarkable lightness and functionality.
Thintanium is named after the revolutionary thin titanium strips developed by LINDBERG. The eyewear looks essentially rimless in appearance, maintaining the stability of a full titanium front – and yet the hypoallergenic material is featured in such a minimalistic way that the designs weigh as little as 3.0 grams. There’s a chance the wearer might just forget they are wearing them! Above: like other LINDBERG designs, thintanium styles can be tailormade according to the customer’s preferences of style, colour and fit.
LINDBERG thintanium has won two prestigious awards – The Red Dot: “Best of the Best” and the iF Gold Award, an accolade given to just 75 of the 10,000 iF applicants. The awards recognise the extraordinary technical achievements of the ultra-thin design and the new screwless friction hinges which give the collection light and elegant aesthetics and an exceptional, tangible quality. Find out more about these new styles at https://lindberg.com/en/collections/thintanium
Eyestylist Exclusive: Céleste Mogador embroidered jewellery
Fall in love with a world of intricate, hand-embroidered accessories with extraordinary graphic, charming and precious designs. In just a few years Céleste Mogador has turned heads across the fashion industry, and sparked interest in some of the finest fashion, concept stores and trendsetting optical boutiques – with beautiful brooches and jewellery embroidered with coloured silk threads. Eyestylist spoke to the creative director Pascale Nivet Bernetiere.
We understand you first worked as an artist under the name of Mademoiselle Héloïse – we would love to know about how your artistic journey originated and where it took you? I have always been a fan of working under a guise, as are many artists. This is why I worked originally under the name of Mademoiselle Héloïse or ‘Melle Héloïse’ for the majority of my career as a self-taught illustrator. Some years later, in 2004, myself and my husband founded our first brand – an interiors brand by the name of La Marellez. It was from that point that we knew this was the direction we wanted to go in, and so we went on to found a lifestyle brand in 2014 ‘Été 36’ and then finally ‘Céleste Mogador’ in 2016.
When did you first encounter the ‘real’ historical icon of Céleste Mogador and why did you see her to be a good fit as the name for the representation of your brand? Well, ‘Céleste Mogador’ herself was an emblematic dancer of the 19th century – in fact, she invented the French ‘can can’ we know today – the iconic dance of the Moulin Rouge. The brand I have created in ‘Céleste Mogador’ draws a lot of inspiration from centuries past, and it’s a truly unique and ‘iconic’ concept and product. So, I suppose her French iconism partnered with her historic value made her the perfect figure after which to name the collection.
No two pieces in a ‘Céleste Mogador’ collection are the same – with such a demand for consistent uniqueness, where do you find the endless inspirations for your work? Many of my close friends and those who have worked with me would label me a ‘compulsive creator’; creating things and the need to do so comes as naturally to me as, say, sleeping or eating to the average person. That being said, inspiration is rarely the struggle – an abundance of inspiration would more likely be the issue. My work is anxiolytic for me, and the inspiration for which – specifically regarding the collections for ‘Céleste Mogador’ – is mainly inspired by the Breton traditions of western France, with a twist of my whimsical and boundless imagination. These inspirations have festered since childhood, mainly from stories and tales by people such as Jean Cocteau, but in terms of fashion inspiration the one, the true and the only designer I idolise would be Schiaparelli. I like things to be quirky and perhaps even a little outdated so that almost a silly kind of appeal is created with that added comfort of something known; an egg for example is a known shape, but it’s a little stupid. Eyes have almost the same shape as an egg, but they are far more graphic – this is one of the reasons I chose to embroider them. Many search for a kind of religious, mystical or esoteric symbolism in this, but really I chose to embroider eyes because they’re prettier and far more interesting than eggs or potatoes. It really is that simple!
The design in your pieces – your brooches in particular – is so incredibly intricate, and unrivalled in style and majesty… tell us a little about the process in creating these products? We pride ourselves on creating everything to the highest standards of quality – be that in regard to materials or practices used. ‘Céleste Mogador’ works exclusively with ‘Au ver à soie’ a French silk company renowned for being a world leader in silk thread production since 1820. The beads used in each embroidery are a mixture of gold plated miyuki’s, fine glass, corals and freshwater pearls. Though I design every item under the ‘Céleste Mogador’ brand, the production of our collections is split into two halves; one collection I hand-make myself in Rennes, the other collection is made by a team of breathtakingly talented and dedicated craftsmen in a series of ethical workshops in India.
As a brand which, as previously mentioned, has delved into many industries of creative design – what can we expect next from you? Are your intentions to explore further into the areas of accessories, interiors and ready to wear or will you perhaps dip your toes into another area of the design market? Further exploration is something I have never said ‘no’ to – this can be most plainly seen in my previous collaborations with ‘Céleste Mogador’. Our brand has collaborated with Vincent Grégoire from the design firm Nelly Rodi to update the amazing space that is ‘House of Games’ in 2016, with superb interior design company Antoinette Poisson in creating a collection of wall decor, stationery and storage boxes, as well as with American designer David Hart for his collection inspired by the ‘Watergate’ scandal that showed at New York Fashion Week in 2019 – just to name a few. Whether it’s another collaboration, a new collection or a completely new line, ‘Céleste Mogador’ is not afraid of any challenges, and we definitely have a further few tricks up our sleeves – so be sure to stay tuned to see where our path will take us forward next.
Find out more about ‘Céleste Mogador’ and see the full collection at www.celeste-mogador.com A feature by Victoria G. L. Brunton exclusively for Eyestylist.com.