Reviews

The first stylish eyewear wallet, by Quentin Stubbe

For those of us who love our frames, and travel or move about regularly, Beaumour Paris is an exciting new accessories entry, with products in leather produced by hand. The star of the line is an eyewear wallet – the first of its kind, designed to accommodate all the essentials: while it has the form of a “classic” specs case it opens neatly into a wallet with space to protect your glasses or sunglasses.

The wallet can hold a frame and up to 10 cards, with space for banknotes, tickets or an ID card. Built inside the lining is an RFID system, an effective protection against contactless credit card hacking.

About the designer: Quentin Stubbe is passionate about style and quality, and has studied luxury leather production and bootmaking. He launched Beaumour Paris in 2019 and has quickly received orders for his innovative leather goods, and the first good-looking Eyewear Wallet. The product range, which also includes a card holder glasses case, is available online at www.beaumour-paris.com and through over 150 opticians in Europe. Beaumour Paris will exhibit for the first time at Mido in Milan in February. For more information about Beaumour visit www.beaumour-paris.com

Padma Image, the Japanese independent eyewear line (which is yet to arrive in Europe) continues to inspire us with its asymmetrical spectacles and experimental design work which is always surprising, skilful and unique in presentation. The new “Ue-Shita” translates “Top and Under” – it combines the quirky style of the frame which has a half-rimless asymmetrical construction with bright colours and patterns inspired by the painter Ichiro Yamaguchi and his work TONE – recreated in the frame with care with a UV layered printing technique.

Padma Image by young designer Meiji Hasui looks forward to launching in Europe shortly. Eyestylist has been following the brand since 2014. See earlier models at: https://www.eyestylist.com/2014/11/rotary-no-50/  https://www.eyestylist.com/2015/06/eyestylist-talks-to-yuuki-hasui/ – For more information: www.padmaimage.com CN

Swiss design label Sol Sol Ito has some memorable shapes amongst its ‘Original’ collection, of which the 039 and 035 are two of the standout shapes (find more of the models at https://www.eyestylist.com/2019/05/sol-sol-ito-captivating-sun-styles-that-sizzle/). This month, another standout one has joined the series, based on a classic teardrop pilot shape with a beautiful double bridge. A close inspection reveals a slight lift on the upper rim and a svelte ‘sculpted’ lower rim, typical of the 1970s (both the acetate and metal designs in this genre).

Colours at Sol Sol Ito come together as if from an artist’s palette, with some of the most outstanding yet subtle graduated tones we are currently seeing and a choice of rich hues as well as transparent ‘crystal’ pastel tones. The new 044 DF frame is offered in hand polished yellow-green, brown-orange and beige-gold – paired with the lightweight modular ‘click-in’ temples,  the design of which Sol Sol Ito has become especially well-known.

Sol Sol Ito glasses and sunglasses are produced by design duo Monika Fink (designer/sculptor) and Sandra Kaufmann (co-head, industrial design, Zurich University) in Switzerland. Their sun and optical collections are stocked by some of the finest opticians worldwide including Auerbach & Steele (London). For more details and further stockists, visit www.solsolito.com. Above: Photography for Sol Sol Ito by Hans Hansen.

Gift guide: Diffuser Tokyo eyewear accessories and leather jewellery for men and women

Diffuser’s range of accessories is part focused on eyewear, and part jewellery in its own right. Designed by Masaki Hirose who saw a lack of well-designed products in natural materials such as leather, the collection is extensive and well curated, expanding into neck cords and bracelets, as well as cases and cotton eyewear pouches in chic two-colour palettes.

Already popular in capital cities and stocked by department stores including Daimaru in Tokyo and the most exclusive optical retailers such as Decora, the brand has been recently “discovered” by European retailers and is gradually becoming more widely available in cities such as Paris and Berlin. Find them at Schoenhelden (Berlin), KLAR (Darmstadt, Germany), L’Artisan du Regard (Paris), Dunoyer Opticiens (Paris) and Bromptons Brighton (UK). Click on the link to view more products: https://diffuser-tokyo.com CN