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“A brave and fearless red shade…” called Viva Magenta

For 2023, Pantone has announced ‘Viva Magenta’ as their ‘Colour of the Year’, a bright pinkish red they refer to as “an unconventional red for an unconventional time.” According to Pantone, Viva Magenta “welcomes anyone and everyone with the same verve for life and rebellious spirit. It is a colour that is audacious, full of wit and inclusive of all”.

The brand states: “In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real. Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”

In eyewear, bright tones of fuchsia and neon pink were already trending successfully in the summer months, and tones related to this palette were fresh and bold in the collections exhibited at Silmo for S/S 2023; the colour palette now extends further with new variations of pink and red and bright combinations, inspired by the intense natural red ‘cochineals’. Above: Agent Provocateur sunglasses by RETROSUPERFUTURE, a brand new collection launched for the current season, www.retrosuperfuture.com

In the fashion press, the Viva Magenta at Pantone is being represented in a multitude of red and pink variations, from Carmine red to berry tones with a very intense pink/purple depth. At Lafont Paris, the new Maldives frame for Spring/Summer 2023 comes in an eye-catching red coloration with patterned fabric sandwiched within the acetate layers. www.lafontparis.com

“This year’s Color of the Year is powerful and empowering. It is a new animated red that revels in pure joy, encouraging experimentation and self-expression without restraint, an electrifying, and a boundary-less shade that is manifesting as a stand-out statement….” PANTONE

At Materika – a brand produced by the Italian brand, Look-Made in Italia, the new Piuma series features a very close colour to the Pantone Viva Magenta, in a shape that is graphic and angular to create a bold and trendsetting optical style. Find out more at https://lookocchiali.it Written by Clodagh Norton – All rights reserved

The latest frames by the iconic LA designers are bold and graphic statements,  radiating artistic freedom through a palette of bright and energetic colours that denote hope and joy

The Fall/Winter collection at l.a.Eyeworks is uplifting and full of terrific surprises, achievable only with the most attentive craftsmanship and detailing alongside the traditionally creative use of colour and inventive patterns selected for the designs. Celebrating an incredible 43 years this September, the company continues to create frame designs that break rules and bring new possibilities for the wearer, with a whole new raft of shapes or details that promote individuality and creativity with a bold artistic “soul”. Above: Gai Gherardi, co-founder/designer, l.a.Eyeworks at Silmo 2022, wearing the Montserrat in a ‘glossy’ black – photography by Amanda Sellem exclusively for Eyestylist – all rights reserved

One of the highlights in the season’s collection is model Montserrat, a unique design which is characterised by a ring of precise perforations around the lens. The design is described by the makers as “super hypnotic” and is clearly a favourite of Gai Gherardi who has been wearing it for the seasonal shows in black.

Model Curly offers a whole new way of wearing a shape that is inspired (but just a little!) by the classic aviator; the model has charismatic curves and an eye-catching keyhole bridge and is produced in HD acetate, making it sturdy and lightweight as well as unabashedly bold.

Patterned materials have long been a passion at l.a.Eyeworks, and their “eye-dazzling ones” are always a delight. The angular model Goodall comes in a choice of colours (we wouldn’t know how to choose between these!), ranging from fairy tortoise and Barbados blue to  whimsical ‘sparrow’ with delicate spots and feather patterns on a translucent crystal base. Find out more about all the new styles in the collection at www.laeyeworks.com

The French reading glasses label Izipizi has launched glasses with GoodNight© lenses, designed to encourage a good night’s sleep

The independent glasses brand Izipizi (Paris) has launched a glasses collection called Sleeping, with lenses that block artificial light and jumpstart melatonin production. The company says that if they are worn for around two hours before bedtime for 15 consecutive days, the wearer can experience maximum results and better sleep. The lenses are designed to help the body naturally stimulate and promote the production of the sleep hormone and were developed in collaboration with a researcher specialising in optometry.

The plano lenses are available in two of Izipizi’s bestselling frames styles – a panto and a square shape – and are made from “a bio-based material” composed of 45% castor oil. According to test results*, the Izipizi team claim that the results showed that after 5 days the time it takes to fall asleep is halved and sleep is deeper and likely to be more “restorative”.

*The study was conducted on 300 people with mild to regular sleep disturbances who wore glasses for 15 days, 2 hours before bedtime. For more information, visit www.izipizi.com

The chic finishes of the most advanced sustainable materials continue to surprise this year. We found three unique tortoise-inspired choices that we’d be thrilled to wear!

In eyewear, elegant tortoise tones are no longer the exclusive preserve of virgin acetate. Forward-thinking eyewear producers who have adopted genuine sustainable materials are creating frames with classic tortoise colours or varieties of the coloration, that have their own unique qualities and beautiful intensities and transparencies of colour. At Mykita, a company that has switched to sustainable Eastman Acetate Renew across its entire portfolio of collections, models like Davu in colour Zanzibar represent the cutting-edge of design in the Eastman material which is said to be hard-wearing and long-lasting, as well as having a good-looking finish and lots of potential for creative colour. Above: the Davu frame by Mykita in the very attractive Zanzibar colorway  – www.mykita.com

Model Malta is a new style from Sea2see, the company that collects and transforms recycled marine plastic into a material called UPSEA™ PLAST which is suitable for the production of high-quality frames with a variety of contemporary colours and finishes. Their most recent collection, which also includes marine-inspired colours, shows that the material is versatile and adaptable, as well as having practical qualities of lightness, strength and comfort. Sea2see is one of a small number of optical companies that is now BCorp certified, meaning that it meets particular standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. The company also operates its own non-profit Foundation and waste collection operation in Ghana.  www.sea2see.org / www.sea2seefoundation.org

The latest collection from Paradigm features the trendy square Debbie style in a selection of colours. The frame is made from ISCC-certified recycled acetate and offers an attractive modern take on colour and pattern.