Designer of the Month

Design Inspiration in The Netherlands

1st August 2013 This month, Eyestylist chats with Tom Stevens of Tom Stevens Eyewear in The Netherlands

Please give details of your background. “I used to be an optician and started my first independent optical store in 2001. Two years later, I opened a second store and enjoyed the years working with people, and always looking for new collections to fill my shops. In 2008, I sold both stores and started doing what I really wanted to do: designing frames. Together with my business partner we launched the children’s label Red Kids Eyewear. In 2011, Tom Stevens Eyewear was launched.”

What inspires your eyewear designs? “My ideas and inspiration for new designs can come from anywhere: cars, buildings, fashion, shapes I discover in objects. I start drawing shapes that I prefer or might be interesting for new models. I like to anticipate the trends too. For instance, ultra round shapes in our new titanium collection. The colours for each model are partly inspired by fashion and catwalk trends. We used neo coating on previous models, as an example. The different seasons also affect my preference for certain colours. The new collection – which will be launched in September – shows darker, sophisticated and ‘calm’ colours, such as midnight blue, matt gold, warm autumn red and soft creamy white.”

Do you have a customer ‘profile’ in mind when you design? “I don’t think of a potential customer when I design. I just draw shapes that I like; this part of the process is quite abstract actually. Clearly I think about measurements, sizes and fittings for male and female faces. But for me, my designs can be worn by all sorts of people.”

In what countries are your frames sold? “Our collection is sold in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, Ireland and Denmark. We are in the process of distribution with South Korea, the U.S. and Australia.”

What are your favourite eyewear materials? “I prefer to work with acetate and titanium in the highest quality. We are experimenting with new materials, and new ideas often pop up in my mind, but it has to work in the final product too. Acetate and titanium have proven to be very solid and beautiful materials in which to produce frames.”

Do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring creators? “Follow your heart, work hard, have fun and never, ever forget what started you in the first place. You will have to overcome bumps in the road, and it might be hard. But if you do something you believe in, and it’s the only thing you really want to do, keep going for it. It will pay off.” www.stevenseyewear.com JG

Accessories with Colour Composition

1st July 2013 Caroline Abram escorts me into her wonderfully spacious premises, complete with a terrace, a loft and a proper kitchen. It’s a lovely, airy environment in which to design and work, a hub of creativity for Abram’s many talents, and her expanding international business. She has an intriguing eyewear history- her parents are involved optics – her father is an eye surgeon, and her mother Annette was the guiding light behind les créateurs d’Opta, the Paris boutique, which was among the first to promote independent eyewear designers. Her creative daughter launched Filao eighteen years ago – a collection of eyewear accessories made in Africa. Abram speaks fondly of the women who make her designs. “Yes, I have my Filao ladies in Senegal,” says Abram, “these women make the accessories by hand – beaded and glass chains and cases, and other items. I spent my childhood in Senegal, and living there helped me so much with my work, because the women there are always mixing colours – yellow, blue red – anything they put together works. They have a real sense of colour, and they know what they are doing.

“In 2008 I made my first frames, and the real question is – ‘why didn’t I do it sooner’?” I’d had it in my mind for a long time, but I wanted to create my own identity  first, away from everything I saw in the stores. And  then I decided to start my cat eye project – which people were not wearing at that time.” The concept developed in parallel with Abram’s life in Africa, and the considerable time she spends in southern Florida. “Florida is my ‘country home’ – the American version,” she says with a laugh, “and my mother and I are crazy about thrift shops – it’s a real hobby. There are many of them in Florida, with items from the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. We are buying, buying and buying. I’m in this time dimension – I’ve always been a matching colour lady, and friends kid me about that because I dress differently. I mix Miami and the colours of Senegal, far from the European way of life. My frame collection had to be a colourful cat eye – it was meant to be! I have variations on the cat eye – large and small. I like to use clear colours and bi-colour, happy frames, fresh and alive. I think the collection is a reflection of me – cat eye with a sense of humour.”

Caroline loves all accessories. “With my designs, I want an accessory environment. I want people to understand that frames are a real accessory. That is why the name Filao will soon disappear, and the new brand name is Caroline Abram Eyewear and Fashion Accessories. My next plan is to further the men’s collection.” The vivacious designer describes her concept of the woman who wears Caroline Abram frames. “The complexity of a woman is always in my mind. She wants everything, and then she doesn’t want anything. In French we call it ‘contraire’ (contrary). She is independent and funny in everything that she does – perhaps a bit stubborn too. The designs include all the characteristics of women, with no age barrier. She is happy, and my frames are always wearable, and she doesn’t feel out of place. Freshness and happy – that’s important for me. People want personality without exaggeration.” www.carolineabram.com JG

Eyewear Ingenuity from Res/Rei

1st May 2013 On several occasions, I’ve been fortunate to have long chats with Italian designer Oliviero Zanon, who is an engaging conversationalist. He’s well versed on many subjects, and of course, one of his favourite topics is Res/Rei, the specialist eyewear design company he co-founded in 2011. Zanon shares with Eyestylist the background that led to the creation of Res/Rei.

“I went to university in London at Central Saint Martin College of Art and Design. I did a Foundation degree in Art and Design, and then a Products Design degree, graduating with first class honours. Central Saint Martin, in many ways, is different from any other University out there. Its uniqueness is in the “hands on” approach with things. The students are asked to do the whole design process, from research/idea to prototyping/manufacturing implementation. Getting your hands dirty building things in the workshop is an inspiring experience. After university, I started working as an industrial designer in London where I lived until 2010. I worked for IDEO London and Munich, an American consultancy that focus on Human Centered Design. This was a meaningful experience.”

“My encounter with the optic business was definitely by chance. The reason that led to the creation of Res/Rei is the will to work at close contact with artisans and producers. At one point in my design career, I was consulting mainly with blue chip clients, huge companies with thousands of employees. I couldn’t relate any more to the design process; it was too impersonal. I wanted a more human experience, and making frames was the answer. In this business you can control the whole process and interact with all the people involved – from manufacturers to final clients. It’s work but it feels like family…we are making so many new friends during our journey, and it is quite amazing.”

Res/Rei started in 2011 – in the midst of economic uncertainty. Did the economy ever make you “think twice” before starting the company? “Of course, the current economic crisis makes things more difficult, but it also creates opportunities, especially for new companies like ourselves. I know, this sounds like a cliché, but it is actually quite true. We are building our brand around firm ethical principles – like the sustainability of the manufacturing. Hopefully, most of our customers share the same vision with us. This gives us the opportunity to build a long lasting relationship with them.”

What inspires your designs? “Part of the inspiration comes from talking to other people that have meaningful experiences to share, mostly outside the optics business. Speaking of which, I’ve just spent a very inspiring day at the Milan Furniture Fair.”

Do you have a “profile” of a particular customer when you design? “Not really. We are not interested in following the stream. We are slowly building our unique identity. Of course, it takes time and you need to do lots of design interaction to become proficient as a brand, but eventually we will get there. It’s a different story with colours and shapes. On this matter,there is a clear distinction between men and women.”

Res/Rei is creating frames in acetate, metal/acetate and titanium – are there any other materials you would like to use? “Right now, we are experimenting with a new material nobody has used so far. But I can’t tell more about this – it’s top secret!” Photo of Oliviero Zanon exclusively for Eyestylist.com by Gilles Stüssi www.resrei.com JG

A new story, rooted in the past, at Christian Roth Eyewear

8th April 2013 I first started following Christian Roth when I got my first job in optical publishing back in 1999. In the ’80s and ’90s, this independent label had already played an impressive role in establishing sunglasses as a key accessory in the fashion arena, and their glamorous shades were worn by everyone who was anyone in fashion and music…memorably, because of the extraordinary images that ensued, Kate Moss, Agyness Dean, Lenny Kravitz, and many, many more.

Today Roth and Domège have new plans, both in eyewear and beyond, with new capsule collections including optical frames and sunglasses, and other Christian Roth accessories that they will unveil in 2014/15 via the website. As part of our special Vintage Edition, we asked them, in an exclusive interview, about their new project, the launch of their e-commerce destination and what the future holds for this iconic name in sunglass fashion.

“Our first overnight success was with Series A (above), our rimless frame in acetate and metal, designed so you could customise the lens shape with the colour of the frame. It was something very different back then, so that it became an overnight success and went straight on the cover of WWD. At that time, we were seeing our frames on all kinds of influential people from different walks of life, from Andy Warhol to Diana Ross, but it wasn’t endorsement, they were genuinely buying our frames and wanting to wear them because they loved them. It was incredible. It is our privilege to have lived in NYC in that period when celebrity culture was not such an issue.

“In the early 90s we joined the CFDA, thanks to Anna Wintour and Candy Pratts Price (the US Vogue team) who wanted the best eyewear designers on board as part of the Association; that was another important moment. We were the first to be a part of it, we were there at the right time!  And it offered so much – we were given the support of Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs as our ‘godfathers’. We began to work with these very big designers. We had a very inspiring working relationship with Karl Lagerfeld for the runway shows and collaborations with the most prolific and talented designers of our times continued for decades. We had our own studio in New York and we started to run private views of our collections. It was in a very cool place next door to a famous agency where we met a very young Claudia Schiffer.

“Today we have completely redefined the Christian Roth concept, our image, and collections – placing the spotlight on the best of “Christian Roth”. We have created a whole new life for the brand adding fun, excitement and the unexpected for eyewear aficionados. Our goal is to now connect through our crisp, conceptual and modern e-commerce destination – www.christian-roth.com –  with our many visionary fans from all over the world, and to reach more seekers of beautiful and unique eyewear. It is a very different, very personal site, where you can get behind the scenes.

“In 2013, the new frames will be availably via the site and through a few ambassador optical stores. Our first Block-On capsule collection includes Italian acetates and Japanese titanium. It is all about craftsmanship, high-quality and mixing geometric, precise, graphic and modern elements. We have worked in a very detailed way with special touches, mixing colour and chic transparent tones. Every frame is crafted by artisans to have its own identity and uniqueness, and we will renew our capsule every few months with new additions, another unusual concept in eyewear that we feel will be exciting for our online customers. On the site, we have added a small shopping area for rare vintage designs, both our own and others; it is something fun, for collectors and people who love the history of frames. The site also shows our support for OrphanAid Africa, something which touches our hearts.

CN

www.christian-roth.com