A new Fleye collection of 16 styles will release at SILMO to mark two decades of design. The frame concept is inspired by a type of round layered Danish cake called “lagkage”
The Danish eyewear brand FLEYE Copenhagen marks its 20th year with a brand new collection called ‘Decades of Design’. As a tribute to its beautiful eyewear design work through two decades, the label has created a collection that is testament to craftsmanship and artistry where fine design, fit and quality are manifested in each individual frame.
Special features include sleek inner rims, which add character to the beta-titanium frames and elegant engravings inside the temples. The acetate frames have beautiful soft colours including fade effects and a striking mottled tortoise. Above: models in the Decades of Design collection
“Together we celebrate a two-decade journey. FLEYE Copenhagen reflects a set of values at the epitome of Danish design. From the designer’s first sketch to the careful creation of each frame and the thorough service afterwards – it is the small details that makes the big difference,” – Annette Estø, Head of Marketing & Design
The many colours of this traditional and well-known ‘celebration’ cake, with textures placed on top of each other, have inspired ingenious layering effects in the frame designs, as well as delicate colour combinations and shapes. Included in the splendid mixed material selection are four refined frames in acetate in contemporary colours such as blue fade and grey with ‘swirl grey’ back, eight beta-titanium designs with a simple, timeless aesthetic and four new carbon-wood styles – a sleek and stylish denouement in a beautiful and memorable Danish optical line. For more information visit www.fleye.dk
Erker’s 1879: family tradition with contemporary flair
The new Roman Numeral V collection from the St Louis family-owned heritage brand launches this month
Jack Erker III and Tony Erker, 5th generation owners of the family optical business from St Louis, have marked their new range of eyewear with a distinctive Roman Numeral ‘V’ on the right temple tip of each frame. The detail represents an emblem of the year of the inception on the left. The details are testament to the Erkers’ family business, and its ongoing successes as the brand Erker’s 1879 through decades as an independent eyewear business.
Named after streets and areas of the city, with a style that fuses timeless design and a luxury finesse in details and colour mixes, each model has been launched in four to five colours, with predominantly subdued natural tones and a good mix of classics such as tortoise, crystal and black. Exclusive to the Erker’s 1879 label, each blend is custom designed and features different matt and shiny finishes. Additionally, interesting combinations of metal and acetate and graduated ‘solid to transparent’ effects are evident, all of which are special details that bring individuality to the designs.
The Erkers pride themselves on the quality of their handcrafted eyewear, using cellulose acetate and surgical-grade stainless steel to achieve a durable yet lightweight product. All their frames are hand-polished and undergo a 48-step manufacturing process, ensuring each frame is smooth and soft to the touch.
About Erker’s 1879
Erker’s 1879 is one of the great American establishments in the world of optical design, and at over 140 years old, one of the oldest. The brand continues to refine its tastes and evolve its extensive eyewear collection for customers of all ages around the globe. For more information about this new release, visit www.erkers1879.com.
For more information about the brand on Eyestylist, visit https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/09/erkers-1879-family-tradition-with-contemporary-flair/
Silmo 2022: a stage for innovation and design
The international optics fair takes place this month from 23rd to 26th September 2022 – the organisers promise a “return to normal” and an unforgettable experience of optics and eyewear through four days
The industry is preparing for a lively and buzzing Silmo in 2022, with high hopes of a return to pre-pandemic international attendance at the upcoming Paris event. Exhibitors from Japan, USA and further afield as well as Europe – have booked to return to the event this year, following a period of time, due to the global pandemic, in which it has been complicated or near impossible to travel long distance. Above: the design brand FOLC Eyewear from Barcelona will return to Silmo this year. Their frames have a glamorous sculptural style which fuses with fascinating colours and bold silhouettes, www.folc-eyewear.com
Among the highlights of the Silmo ‘optical’ weekend programme will be Silmo NEXT, a showcase for creativity and innovation comprising lectures, talks and workshops exploring new technologies such as the Metaverse and smart glasses, as well as focus on ‘savoir-faire’ via the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) an exhibit which will highlight craft and heritage in the production of eyewear and demonstrating that the present and future are inextricably linked.
The Silmo d’Or awards are always a point of interest and excitement during Silmo. This year, the 10 categories include the very competitive and highly acclaimed prizes for Best Optical Frame and Best Sunglasses ‘Eyewear Designer’ categories.
The fair organisers have also announced a new initiative called the Optical Design Contest, overseen in 2022 by designer and creative director, Emmanuel Gallina. This competition aims to stimulate creativity and innovation and encourage talent for the optical industry in the future.
Diffuser Tokyo, the luxury accessories brand from Japan, will exhibit at Silmo this year with a range of cases, cords and one-of-a-kind stands and storage pieces suited to high-level retailers, creative boutiques and eyewear connoisseurs. Check out the brand here: www.diffuser-tokyo.com
Struktur launches Director Light and Paris Light, two ‘perforated metal’ styles which play with a structural concept and bright combinations of colours. Comfort and lightness are always considered in combination with the striking design details proposed at this French independent eyewear brand. www.struktur-eyewear.fr
Götti Switzerland has just released a small taste of its titanium styles which will launch for the Paris fair. Models Duncan and Denis are classic aviators offering a bold and futuristic statement style. The frames come in shiny metallic combinations with a very original look using tones of violet and apricot, silver and copper and apple green and yellow. www.gotti.ch
About SILMO 2022: the fair (trade only) takes place at Paris Nord Villepinte from 23rd to 26th September 2022. This year the roster of independent labels showing include: Carlotta’s Village Dabrach, Diffuser Tokyo (Joy Every Time), Fleye, FACE A FACE, FOLC Eyewear, Gotti Switzerland, Kirk and Kirk, Lafont Paris, MOREL, Nina Our, Res/Rei, Rolf Spectacles, Sea2see and Veronika Wildgruber. The SILMO d’Or awards – much coveted prizes which recognise outstanding design and innovation – will be announced during the weekend of the event. To register, and find out more: visit www.silmoparis.com
Ørgreen Optics: the power of color
A film on color by Ørgreen Optics is launched by the Danish company today, via www.orgreenoptics.com and www.eyestylist.com Created in Copenhagen, the film follows the reflections of Sahra Lysell, long-term Color Advisor at Ørgreen Optics – interviewed by Clodagh Norton / Eyestylist.com, – Petra Kleis, Photographer and Allan R Kruse, Creative Director.
The film tells each of the interviewee’s personal experiences, memories, and colour influences as well as exploring their ideas on using colors in their work. Lysell, who has worked as the color specialist at Ørgreen since 1997, is one-of-a kind in terms of her specialism in developing color palettes in the optical industry. In the films she discusses approaches to color in the field of eyewear citing examples of how she combines specific colours to create a particular look or transforms colors which have a particular association into something new and fresh – combining them with different tones or hues. Lysell also explains many of the far-reaching personal and cultural influences she feels have impacted her views on color and wearing color, through her career, some of which continue to influence her eyewear palettes today. Above: new styles were released in the very contemporary HAVN collection last week: demonstrating the “flowing colour palette” at the Danish brand
“I live in a city where you apply color to walls, to old buildings… I live in a very historical part of the town,” she explains about her home in Copenhagen. “That tells a lot of story actually through color….”
In the film Lysell also explains how on-trend color palettes and iconic ‘classical’ tones have evolved through the years at Ørgreen, often coexisting in combination, and irrespective of color trends in other disciplines.
Petra Kleis – a photographer based in Copenhagen – provides insights into a photographer’s relationship with color stories. “I really like the 3-dimensional feeling that colour can give you, and the softness,” she notes. “I use color a lot but it’s really rare that I ask why I use this colour and not that colour.” Allan R. Cruse, Creative Director reflects on topics such as early colour influences in childhood, and his area of expertise, branding, core values and how a colour language relates to and represents an important element of our vision of the world. For more information : www.orgreenoptics.com
Kirk & Kirk pop-up opens in Shoreditch
“Connecting with the customer, raising visibility…”
Kirk & Kirk have opened a pop-up store in Redchurch Street, in Shoreditch, one of London’s most prestigious fashion, food and lifestyle destinations. The gallery-like space, which presents the Kirk & Kirk frames in bright neon boxes against a stark white backdrop, offers a complete introduction to the eyewear collection and its history, with video presentation and virtual try-on as well as the actual frames on display.
“The pop-up is open for a month in this location,” Jason Kirk told Eyestylist on Friday at the launch. “For us it is a chance to raise the visibility of the brand, listen and interact with the public, and explore another way to retail Kirk & Kirk which we hope will inspire and create new opportunities. Our plan is to roll-out this pop-up in other places in the UK and abroad.”
Kirk & Kirk offers the only eyewear collection produced in colorful Italian acrylic, a material that is lightweight, pleasurable to wear and translucent. Based in Brighton and producing their collection in traditional frame factories in France, the company has a rich heritage and brand story, dating back to the early decades of the 20th century when Jason’s ancestors – Sidney and Percy set up Kirk Brothers’ first London workshop in 1919. Today, the collections are sold in more than 40 countries, offering a mix of styles and designs that appeal to many age groups and tastes, with a colour palette that is based on striking neon tones, and signature hues such as blue moon, ‘passion’ pink and citrus orange. Pop-up opening times: Monday to Saturday 11 to 4pm / Sunday 11am to 4pm – 81, Redchurch Street, London E2 7DJ / the pop-up shop is open in Redchurch Street until 29th September, 2022. For more details visit www.kirkandkirk.com