Design + Inspiration

Ones to watch at 100%, London – 2020 edition

23rd December 2019

By Clodagh Norton – The 100% trade fair in London promises a huge display of eyewear collections in January, alongside the latest tech, lens releases and state-of-the-art optical equipment for opticians and optical practices. Their growing “studio area” for independent labels will welcome new additions for the 2020 show – among which the fair organisers highlight Coral Eyewear (www.coraleyewear.com), an eco-friendly frame producer, and Kaleos, the Barcelona brand offering innovative fashion frames at affordable prices. Above: model Pollitt by Kaleos – released this month in new colours. Find out more: www.kaleoscollection.com

Titanium frames remain hugely popular this season and Ørgreen Optics will showcase some of their highly successful minimal modern styles – named after infamous rap tunes. The strong lines and contemporary details of these frames exude originality and freedom of expression. Find out more at www.orgreenoptics.com

Returning to the London show for 2020, Gotti Switzerland is one of the fair’s prestigious luxury exhibitors and a key innovator in eyewear design: their ultralight, minimal Perspective collection was launched in 2017 and has seen some original new editions including the Perspective “Loop” series (2019 launch) with delicate 3D printed matt polyamide rims – a must see at 100%. www.gotti.ch

Woow is already a favourite French collection at 100% – much loved by the UK market for its bright quirky designs and creative colour combinations. The latest limited edition was the Bolly Wool capsule, inspired by “Bollywood” with Mandala patterns on temples and spiced-up tonal mixes of cardamom, saffron, mint and red pepper. Frames from the collection can be seen at www.wooweyewear.com

SALT. Optics from California: timeless design, quality construction

SALT. Optics is one of the most distinctive of the US brands attending the 100% fair for 2020. SALT. enjoys a strong relationship with the UK, with the ophthalmic and sun collections available at some of the most unique British independent optical retailers. Their latest designs will go on show at the exhibition, packed with wonderful classic shapes re-interpreted with modern elements and uplifting nature-inspired colours. Find out more: www.saltoptics.com

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Lara D’ by Lara D’Alpaos comes to London from the Italian spectacle-making region of Belluno. The latest range includes laminated acetate frames characterised by clean, well defined lines and lovely colour combinations that offer a bold and fresh perspective for the New Year. Find our more at www.laradeyewear.com

100% Optical will take place from 25-27th January 2020 at ExCel exhibition centre, London. The event is exclusively for trade and showcases an overview of eyewear, lenses, optical equipment and business services. A selection of independent brands attend the event each year. A sustainability angle has been added to the fair in recent weeks. The organisers have promised to plant a tree in the name of every optical professional who signs up for the show between now and 8th January and who attends the show from 25th to 27th January, “to recognise and do something positive about the climate emergency.”

Design + Inspiration

Eyewear trend: Pantone colour 2020 – Classic Blue

17th December 2019

Poised. Self-assured. And elegant in its simplicity. Pantone also describes its colour of the coming year as multi-sensory, suggestive of the sky at dusk and reassuring in its qualities, while encouraging us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking.

As far as eyewear trends go, blue has always held its own, across a spectrum of dark to light tones, from sky to indigo, and turquoise to lapis. Just because the classic blue is back on trend, all blueish hues are likely to see a revival or revamp, through mono, combo and gradient proposals, all of which will have a different style and look for the face. Above: acetate model Brian by Ørgreen Optics. For some of the acetate frames in this new line, colour designer Sahra Lysell says there are as many as three different tones in one single frame. The subtle colour pictured is called ‘Gradient Blue Sand Grey’. www.orgreenoptics.com

Get Hired by Woow Eyewear; a dark translucent blue in an easy mix with a hint of brown and a bright red temple tip

The new Get Hired frame at Woow proposes an artistic mix of tones with a translucent effect in the blue acetate. See more styles at www.wooweyewear.com

Lemon Curd by theo – Layer Cake series – an eletric blue with a dark blue inner rim – an eyewear trend we see rising

The Layer Cake series by theo is inspired by the sweetest desserts you can imagine, from Black Forest gateaux to Coconut Cream. The colour combinations subtly hint at the effect of the layers (as above in solid blue with a dark inner rim on the eye shape) or combine very different tones to ‘really stand out!’ Find out more at www.theo.be. Pantone’s colour of the year 2020 is 10-4052 / Classic Blue. By Clodagh Norton

Design + Inspiration

Reinventing vintage: ‘pince-nez’ inspiration

10th December 2019

Art Deco Vintage Oxford: TVR® (True Vintage Revival), Japan

Inspired by the classic pince-nez spectacles from the early days of the Renaissance and the late 1800s, when eyeglasses became a highly popular style statement amongst the bourgeoisie, the two new models from the Japanese independent label TVR® work on transforming much loved antique styling into 21st century wearable design. The frames are made in Sabae, Japan, the heart of eyewear production in the country and a place that is revered for its level of artisan quality, workmanship and traditional handcrafting. Above: The new TVR® 525, a round eye shape available in a selection of colours, including antique gold or silver.

Inspiration: a pince-nez without temples, c late 1800s.

Both TVR® 525 (top) and TVR® 526 are also the brand’s first collection made entirely in pure Japanese SPM. From the frame to the temples and bridge, the exquisite round and Panto shapes are patented in the material for exclusivity. The metal temples are also engraved with intricate gold-filled design akin to original vintage Art Deco patterns, worked upon by master craftsmen with exceptional skill and know-how.

TVR® 525 (round shape) + TVR® 526 (panto shape): inspired by the “Oxford” spectacle style of yesteryear

Developed by Shintaro Kato in 1930 in Japan, SPM is a precious metal alloy. It was a rare commodity at that time, and cherished by Japan’s Showa royal family for its hardiness, resistance and compatibility with human skin. As such, the export of raw SPM material was not permitted at the time. Today, its remarkable characteristics make it popular in dental accessories and tools for plastic surgery, and TVR® is one of few labels who use it with creativity and passion in eyewear. Despite the name, SPM doesn’t contain platinum — instead, it refers to the soft platinum colour after it has been polished. More importantly, the material retains its shine even after a long period of time. The 68-year-old master craftsman Kanamaru Harumi is behind the production of the two new SPM metal frames from TVR® (True Vintage Revival) – Japan. Find out more about the brand TVR® at www.tvropt.com

Design + Inspiration

Innovation 2020: opti Munich, Germany

2nd December 2019

Must-sees at the Munich fair – a packed fair is coming for January 2020

The Munich fair is expecting a busy turnout at the start of 2020. From emerging labels right through to historic eyewear brands, the showcase of eyewear collections at this important event gives a thorough overview of design developments, shining the spotlight on young innovators, creators as well as a host of high-profile fashion eyewear designers.

One of the standouts every year at opti – for artisan frames – is Res/Rei Italy, a small label with a dedicated following, owing to their creative style and close collaboration with Mazzucchelli which results in some very unique and detailed acetate materials. Their products are excellent with many unique and creative shapes and timeless qualities. We also particularly enjoy their covetable jewellery line – made from the leftover acetates – and offering a very chic and special design, with colours that match up with frames. Above: model Begonia from the nature-inspired Flowers collection at Res/Rei – different acetates combine and overlap with each other like the petals of exotic flowers. The frame is pictured in a pink/light pink colorway matched with plain grey lenses. Find out more at www.resrei.com

Eton Mess by theo – *© 2018 copyright protected Artworks,*
*Photography & Graphic Design!*

Belgian design innovators theo have had a particularly spectacular raft of designs launched through 2019, with highlights including their mouth-watering Layer Cake series – featuring titanium plate designs created with two different layers.

At opti, theo will release a completely new “typically theo” eyewear family which they tell us is “warm, soft and comforting yet strong, powerful and unyielding, like….sand.” Check their new website at www.theo.be for more details about their collections.

The sleek Alium Race 2 by FACE A FACE – advanced aluminium eyewear, inspired by the sports aviator shape

The Alium collection is always a must-see at the FACE A FACE stand. This is a very distinctive line with focus on men’s eyewear where a balance of technological excellence and a modern approach to colour offers something quite beautiful and different to wear. See more Alium frames at www.faceaface-paris.com

We Are Annu return to the opti boxes for 2020

We are Annu launched their collection at opti this year (check our Eyestylist opti review 2019 – www.eyestylist.com/2019/02/exceptional-design-at-opti/). We admire both the imaginative concept of paper clip inspired frames and their commitment to innovation and team success. A must-see for opti – find out more at www.weareannu.com

SALT. Optics: designed in California, made in Japan

SALT. Optics travels from California for the opti event, with a collection inspired by nature and produced with rigorous Japanese quality driven techniques. Alongside the main line collection, the brand has launched some must-see fashion-focused collabs, which include SALT. + Second Layer and SALT. + Fred Segal where attention to detail and shared values such as quality materials have resulted in exceptional limited editions. www.saltoptics.com

opti – the international trade show for optics & design, takes place at Fairground Munich from 10th to 12th January, 2020. Registration is now open to trade visitors at www.opti.de. Written by Clodagh Norton – all rights reserved.

Design + Inspiration

Rigards x Uma Wang exclusive collaboration

21st November 2019

Sources of inspiration include ancient mosaics, 19th century eyewear + Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona

A second collaboration series between artisan fashion designer Uma Wang and the avant-garde eyewear innovators from Hong Kong, Rigards caught the attention of Paris Fashion Week at the fashion designer’s much talked about RTW Spring 2020 catwalk show.

The two designs – UW5 and UW10 – are intentionally closely linked to the previous models, with an aesthetic derived from 19th century eyewear. Above: backstage at Uma Wang, Paris Fashion Week – collaboration design UW10

UW10, (a codename for the 10th anniversary of Wang’s brand) was undertaken as a follow-up design to the successful prior collaboration design, the UW1.

Conceived from a thread that runs through Wang’s latest collection (the golden age of Pompeii), Rigards’ Ti Kwa says they “zoomed in on the smallest element of the decorative arts of the Roman Empire, extrapolating it into something uncommonly inventive.” An eco-friendly bio-acetate is used for the side shield inspired by ancient mosaic glass tiles—” these are as vivid now as they were 2000 years ago, relicts of Pompeii preserved by Vesuvius and the passage of time.”

Rigards x Uma Wang : UW10 (The Shanghai)

A further historic inspiration came from the extraordinary stained glass windows at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, conceptualized by the great Antoni Gaudi and designed and produced by artist Joan Vila-Grau, a highlight of Kwa’s recent tour to Barcelona.
This frame, nicknamed “The Shanghai”, honors another artistic treasure, particularly dear to Wang. The exquisite Old Shanghai Art Deco stained glass windows are a legacy of the once-flourishing, now forgotten Jesuit Tushanwan Orphanage and its exceptional young foundling apprentices. The frame is produced in five spectacular shades, each one a literal rendering of seeing the world through tinted specs.

With an aesthetic derived from 19th century eyeware, UW5 (The Victorian II) reflects the design vocabulary of UW3, a prior collaboration with a minimal silhouette.
The so called “owl-eye” style has been increased in size and thus works ideally for wider faces. “Building with copper allows the application of our exclusive, proprietary ‘Time Machine’ hand-aging process,” says Ti Kwa. “What emerged wer the most beautiful examples of metal coloring—expressive, painterly patina that further enhance the personality of the frames, as though weathered by the passing decades.”

Uma Wang’s Pompeii inspired show took place in Paris in September featuring the collaboration frames with Rigards on the catwalk. For more information about the two brands visit www.rigards.com and www.umawang.com CN