Reviews

Sport sunglasses: Article One x Mission Workshop

29th April 2024

An activewear frame for cycling and running enthusiasts – the sport sunglasses have been spotted on Ryan Gosling

With its unique take on the classic navigator design, the collaboration design from Article One x Mission Workshop offers a cool timeless design, with hidden advantages for use during sport. Handcrafted in Italy, the aim was to create an extremely versatile accessory that can seamlessly transition from day-to-day activities to intense athletic pursuits.

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

The sunglasses boast performance-driven elements highlighted by a TR-90 polymer construction — a durable, lightweight and hypoallergenic material. The frame also features technical details such as Italian polarised CR39 lenses that block 100% of UVA/UVB rays and prevent road glare, adjustable silicone nose pads and rubber temple tips for grip and hold, backside anti-reflective lens coating and spring hinges. The style is currently available in Green Tortoise, Vintage Crystal, Black Marble and Purple Tortoise.

Article One are specialists in sports eyewear offering classic and old-school frame shapes that have been recreated with technical adjustments to give them high-tech appeal for those who wish to use the frames for activities and sports. The brand was founded in Flint, Michigan by former collegiate runner Wes Stoody. As the principal designer since the first collection launch in 2016, Stoody centres fashion at the heart of his creative process – constantly challenging traditional aesthetics of the performance category. Article One has teamed with Mission Workshop to produce a series of collaboration sunglasses since 2021 – the Mission Workshop label is San Francisco-based and creates bags, clothing, and footwear for urban cyclists. To find out more visit https://articleoneeyewear.com

Photography by Bryan Banducci.

Reviews

Diffuser Tokyo: the ultimate storage case for specs

23rd April 2024

The Japanese accessories brand, Diffuser Tokyo has just released their 10-piece eyewear carrier – the Parallelogram Prism storage box – and its flying of the shelves!

Previewed at SILMO 2023, and now available in two distinctive colours, this new versatile eyewear carrier by Diffuser Tokyo stores up to ten pairs of glasses and sunglasses. The case, which is called the Parallelogram Prism storage box (TYPE 10) is made in Japan from Italian leather and represents the most refined and appealing eyewear storage system for multiple pairs of glasses on the market. As well as an exceptionally luxurious finish and soft suede interior, the box has a compact design making it ideal for everyday use and attractive colourways, with a choice of black with camel or hazelnut with green. Above: the new 10-piece case created by Diffuser Tokyo, the specialists in high-quality eyewear accessories

Reviews

RES/REI: the Sculptures Collection

18th April 2024

In the Spring / Summer 2024 collection by the Italian label, highlights include the glamorous models in the Sculptures Collection with its new coloured Havanas and elegant bilayer materials combined with classical tones – inspired by the light effects at twilight

Previewed at Mido in February, the Italian label has introduced three new sunglass models to their Sculpture family: Moonlight, Rainbow, and Nightfall. These models stay true to the Sculptures family’s distinctive style, featuring prominently faceted fronts that accentuate the bilayer materials. Each model has been uniquely designed to capture the essence of artificial neon landscapes, displaying colour combinations inspired by “the stunning interplay of light and reflections seen during twilight transitions”.Above: Moonlight by RES/REI in the Sculptures Collection – pictured in green Havana with a contrasting reddish Havana – the frame also comes in a delicate gradient pink, brown tortoise and black marble

Detail: the square model Nightfall in the Sculptures Collection by RES/REI – pictured in grey / purple with gradient grey lens

The Moonlight sunglasses embody the soft hues of night turning into day, while model Rainbow is imagined as a reflection of the spectrum of light just as the sun rises or sets. Model Nightfall captures the deep, mysterious tones of day surrendering to night, the designers explained.

Detail of model Rainbow by RES/REI in coloured Havana tones

The bold sculpted feel of the frames has been achieved by enhancing the three-dimensionality of the acetate on the front and back of the frame. By using this process, the layering of the different patterns in the acetate is immediately eye-catching.

RES/REI is an independent Italian design company based in Treviso, Northern Italy. To find out more about the new sun and optical collections for Spring / Summer 2024, visit www.resrei.com

Reviews

Runaway by Ørgreen Optics

15th April 2024

Lightweight stainless steel collection HAVN sees new vibrant styles added

A distinctive double bar, a narrow, finely crafted structure, and brilliant colours: the latest additions in the HAVN collection at the Danish independent eyewear company Ørgreen Optics includes the model Runaway, a functional, easy-to-wear design with a bright contemporary look. The frame, and its sister model Upside, are a testament to the brand’s commitment to a style which fuses innovative design with functional beauty – all the while taking a unique approach to colour in eyewear and how they can be developed to suit the individual, always “thinking outside the box”. Above: the new unisex style Runaway, which comes in four colours

Runaway by Ørgreen Optics, pictured in matt infinity blue; the top bar features in a contrasting matt palladium tone

The HAVN collection is realised in stainless steel, and pairs a palette of quite daring tones on frame fronts with Ørgreen’s signature step-down construction, emphasising proportions and profiles by using shape-in-shape outlines, architectural lines and, for some designs, engraved patterns. The style names are taken from boats and yachts in the harbours and canals surrounding the brand’s Copenhagen HQ – Denmark. For more information about HAVN, visit https://orgreenoptics.com/havn-collection/

Reviews

French eyewear collab – Morel par Jean Nouvel: a fifth edition

25th March 2024

The collaboration series sees the addition of new iconic round frames, the favoured eyewear shape of the French architect

Architects have long turned their hand to design work and products in other realms, however small in size. In Morel’s latest collaboration designs produced with the architect, Jean Nouvel, the iconic round frame shape – in a variety of materials – is the focus of the line, an expression of bold simplicity, playing with dimensionality and volume. Above and below: 90045C “rim-to-rim” model from the Morel par Jean Nouvel collection

Morel par Jean Nouvel model *90045C –* the coloured rims are visible on the inside and outside of the frame

The 90045C “rim-to-rim” model, an all-acetate frame, features two coloured circles within a transparent structure, creating a design which is minimal and yet striking. The clean crisp crystal acetate material is a tone of particular interest again this year.

Morel par Jean Nouvel 90007C is a titanium design in this collection

The two-tone coloration is further explored in the titanium models in the series. The new model 90007C features two perfectly round (or pantos) coloured eye shapes connected with a bridge and temples in a contrasting tone. Unisex and universal, the frame is offered in different colour combinations, adapting to all styles, including red with black and gold with black.

The Morel par Jean Nouvel collection is available through selected opticians worldwide. The sunglass collection is now available at the Abu Dhabi Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a building designed by the architect Jean Nouvel in 2017. For more information: www.morel-france.com