Colours of nature, elevated comfort and quality in browline glasses, cateyes and bold 1950s-look squares
A relaxed style, personal yet elegant and on-trend – SALT. Optics highlights eyewear for the season – with a series of colours and combinations informed by nature in both tone and texture. Vintage-inspired shapes are key silhouettes – the brand has focused on browline frames, that combine materials, square shapes and simple, chic cateyes and semi-cateyes which are beautiful, laid-back and easy to wear. The colour palette includes variations of brushed copper, honey gold, black sand and redwood, hues that are lifted from the natural world…from forests and deserts, beaches and shores. Above: model Knox by SALT. Optics: pictured in redwood antique gold – the metal material has a brushed finish evoking natural textures of materials like stone or bark
Model Hillier is already one of the most popular of the cat eye shapes in the SALT. Optics collection. The frame is available in tones of taupe, toasted toffee, black or antique rose.
Model Madison is inspired by mid-century eyewear, with a strong brow line at the top of the design and thin metal rim creating contrast in the lower section of the front.
All the featured styles can be worn as optical glasses or sunglasses, which come with polarised CR39 sun lenses. The collection is made in Japan and proposes high-class materials such as titanium and cellulose acetate. Find out more at https://saltoptics.com
10th anniversary marked by RIGARDS
A 10-year retrospective show, recognising the brand’s 10th anniversary, opens on 19th December 2021 at the Yiji Gallery in Chongqing, China – the brand is also launching a special online charity auction
Hong Kong based artisan label Rigards celebrate their first 10 years with a special retrospective exhibition. In the spirit of gratitude, Rigards have also announced the ‘Warm Regards’ Online Charity Auction with proceeds going to Captivating International Foundation Hong Kong’s ‘One More Year’ Scholarship Program.
The event offers 10 one-off pairs of specially crafted Rigards frames, each a pinnacle of the label’s creative vision and a work of singular importance in their oeuvre. The online bidding is open until 22nd December 2021.
100% of the proceeds from the sales will directly benefit Captivating International Foundation Hong Kong’s ‘One More Year’ Scholarship Program, aimed at putting girls from underprivileged families through school.
Founded in 2006 by Andrew and Julie Colquhoun, Captivating has since been working with grassroots charities to help disadvantaged, impoverished children reach out for a better tomorrow. Find out more at www.rigards.com / https://captivating.org/about-us/our-story/
Lifestyle optician’s: The Oculist, UK
A UK hotspot for original, fine frames
Owner/director Gerry Sondh is all for embracing unique design. His carefully curated collection of frames includes top-notch brands from around the world like Ørgreen Optics, Jacques Marie Mage and theo, and new arrival in the store from Berlin, Kuboraum. “We’re known for what we do,” he says, and that goes for the frames, the eyecare, the advice available, and the special events in-store. These are just re-starting with a MYKITA + Kuboraum showcase for December.
Since launching his shop in 2007, Sondh has found fans across the Peterborough area and further afield who know they can rely on the selection of frames, and in the current climate, buy multiple pairs. “Our work is a bit different right now. There’s less browsing, but many more bookings and bookings ahead. More people who are working from home in this area are looking for eyewear to suit several needs. They like that we are here, with a top selection of frames, and that they don’t need to travel into London to find something new.”
Asked about how he started and with which collections, Sondh talks about having lots of great “family-like” connections with favourite, long-term brands. They include a strong relationship with Ørgreen whose collection is hugely popular at the store. “I’ve been working with Ørgreen Optics for 15 years. When we opened in 2007, we sold a load of the titanium Pussycats and Vildebeests and that was just a warm-up to what has been a really excellent relationship. Over the years, we have just continued to do really, really well with the collection, the electro-colours and combinations, and the consistency of small details like small hinges and screws suits us perfectly. I appreciate this type of close relationship with our brands and the travel to HQ to spend time with the team.”
Located in a small arcade of independent shops, just off Peterborough town centre and near the historic cathedral, the Oculist team – Gerry, Rob Gilbert and Hannah Castle – promise over 1000 frames and sunglasses to choose from at any one time in the store, and take a remarkable and keen interest in new and high-quality designs. “Our analysis on returns is taken very seriously, our collections really do get put under scrutiny,” says Sondh, “and we take detailed records of any problems. By doing that we know we are selling very high-level eyewear to our customers and that satisfaction will always remain high.”
Independent brands stocked at The Oculist include FACE A FACE, Kuboraum, LINDBERG, Maui Jim, Mykita, Ørgreen Optics, Oliver Peoples, and THEO.
Westgate Arcade, Peterborough, PE1 1PY – www.theoculist.com
Eyestylist visited The Oculist in November 2021 in person. If you have a unique store and would like to get in touch to tell us more, contact us at [email protected] – The feature above was written by Clodagh Norton for Eyestylist.com – all rights reserved.
Trance by Vada Eyes: retrofuturistic optimism
Eyestylist Exclusive: Exciting design treats in a very limited release, from Austin Texas
Part of Collection 3, the VADAVERSE, the new Trance model, which officially launched on 13th December, offers a boost of colour in a retro shape, enhanced by the signature details of the brand that gives these frames their truly special something! Made for ‘dark rooms, corner booths and dancefloors’, and to wear with clear lenses or sun tints, each pair of Trance frames features a lightweight square frame shape, signature domed metal adornments, and rivets designed to hold VADA’s chain retainers. The colour palette is a really innovative one, divided into four groups which include “Back to the Garden” with tones of fresh spearmint and honey, and “Carbon” with tones of smoke and lava. Above: Trance in lava in a limited run of 33 frames.
VADA EYES frames are constructed from Japanese acetate and titanium. Signature gilded accents are a focal point in the line, in what is an expanded range including metals in the new selection, all including the rings in the tips designed to connect VADA’s eyewear fine jewelry chains.
Each pair of eyewear ships in an upcycled microfiber bag and a custom cactus-leather case, made in the USA. All eyewear styles are available in RX and sun lenses in a range of lens hues special to Collection 3. Based in Austin, Texas and with a presence in LA, Vada Eyes are proudly handcrafted in Japan. Find out more at www.vadajewelry.com
Eyestylist Exclusives: eight top featured stores of 2021
In 2021, Eyestylist has reported on a range of unique independent stores that opened between November 2020 and December 2021 – a period that has been particularly testing but also full of innovation and endeavour. Here we round up eight truly outstanding stores featured during this period, all of which pave the way for more trailblazers and stylesetters with an architectural focus or an avantgarde mission and an unerring passion for creative eyewear in the field of optical retailing.
1. MYKITA, Mexico City – The elegant tree-lined boulevard Colima (Roma Norte) interspersed with Art Deco houses has seen the opening of the new MYKITA Shop, housed in a 1950s Bauhaus-inspired building. The store is designed to offer an ‘immersive’ MYKITA experience, with three levels and an overall space of 700 square metres. Alongside their established design classics and latest eyewear collections which are all handcrafted at the MYKITA HAUS in Berlin, the shop – as is typical of the German brand’s retail concept – offers a comprehensive optical service with state-of-the-art instruments and lenses by ZEISS. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/10/mykita-in-mexico-city/
2. EOE, Stockholm – For its flagship store in the city of Stockholm, sustainable eyewear brand EOE has created a serene and minimal EOE universe, inspired by the sparse nature of the northern terrains of Swedish Lapland. The new destination store is located on Mäster Samulesgatan 10, in the middle of Biblioteksstan, a busy and well-known area of the city, known for its many retail stores, among them several already specialising in eyewear. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/01/eoe-flagship-stockholm/
3. Eyes on Hudson, Hudson Valley, NY – Katelyn Rogerson’s new store Eyes on Hudson opened in 2020, a breathtaking state-of-the-art retail space turned independent eyewear destination. With an extraordinary mix of curated collections by independent designers, the store represents a new dynamic retail concept achieved through youthful passion, a natural affinity with artisan design and over 10 years’ experience working in one of New York’s famed eyewear stores. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/03/eyes-on-hudson-hudson-valley-ny/
4. Hungry Eyes, Stuttgart, Germany – After 14 years as store manager, master optician Thomas Hommerberg has achieved his dream in the hardest of climates. His new store in Stuttgart specialises in independent eyewear brands and design labels. “The concept is to bring to Stuttgart real independent eyewear in a unique shop which is far removed from the mass market”, he told Eyestylist. “This is definitely missing here and this is the concept of my store. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/01/hungry-eyes-stuttgart/
5. The Art of Optics, Dubai (UAE) – Ahmad Albanna, owner and founder of The Art of Optics, Dubai, is an eyewear aficionado with his own collection of independent specs and sunglasses and an enthusiastic interest in art and design. “With a passion for frames, I have always been in search of unique, unusual colorful eyewear,” he told Eyestylist. “So when I opened my store I went to the optical exhibitions to select each pair of glasses myself. I knew some of the brands from being a collector. But when I started to visit the fairs I got to know some more. Some of the brands we have are here in Dubai for the very first time. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/04/the-art-of-optics-dubai-uae-box-park/
6. Sacrées Mirettes – Lille, France – Sacrées Mirettes is an eyewear boutique located in Vieux Lille, the historic area of Lille, France. Though the store is situated in beautiful surroundings, steeped in history and culture within a bustling city, the business and founders Sarah and Flo did not have the warmest welcome into the retail world. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/07/sacrees-mirettes-lille-france/
7. L’Opticienne Manon Favand, France – L’Opticienne is a stylish, boutique opticians founded by Manon Favand, located in an historic building in the commune of Uzès in the south of France. Favand first conceived the idea of having her own boutique after she had completed her training as an optician. READ MORE: https://www.eyestylist.com/2021/09/lopticienne-manon-favand-france/
