Eyestylist

Tania Grace Knuckey: handmade silk scarves

9th December 2020

“Playfulness is a serious matter”

Award-winning textile designer Tania Grace Knuckey created her first scarf collection in 2015 as a one-off – mainly with friends and family in mind, and now she can’t stop! Fantastical creatures, exciting graphic colour mixes, and nature-inspired motifs are the focal elements of her playful creative world of silky scarves that are as much heirloom pieces of art as they are wearable accessories, with a contemporary and truly uplifting spirit. Above: Dinosaurs: Dino – 2020 – silk twill, made in France – limited edition

L’Oeil from the Soft Beast collection by Tania Grace Knuckey – made in France

In the most recent series of collections, dinosaurs, serpents, ‘soft’ beasts, dogs and lobsters are among the friendly-faced creatures portrayed against colourful asymmetrical abstract backgrounds with “naive” handwritten messages – all conceived through exciting colour mixes on the silk and a strong attention to detail and hand finishing.

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Arlo: silk twill – limited edition “portrait” silk scarf by Tania Grace Knuckey – made in France

About : Tania Grace Knuckey is a textile designer and multi-media artist living and working in Geneva, Switzerland. She graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2009 with a Cum Laude BA in Design and from The Royal College of Art London in 2012 with an MA in mixed media textiles. Her artistic practice is playful with an unapologetic bold use of colour, and yet behind this aesthetic, more often than not, is a level of seriousness borne out of steady research. She seeks to surprise at times, to titillate perhaps, but always to unsettle the norm, questioning conventional notions of form and function. In 2015 Tania launched her limited edition silk scarves; unique, vibrant and playful. The manner in which colour folds, falls, intermingles, and intertwine when worn is particularly important as she spends a great deal of care designing and combining each motif to ensure it is authentic. Inspired from nature, animals and fantastical creatures, Tania’s scarf are a reminder that playfulness is a serious matter, that mark- making possibilities are endless, colours have power and prints can take on a life of their own. Knuckey’s work is available at Paradigme in Geneva, the Cloister in Milan and from her website at https://taniagraceknuckey.com

Reviews

3D graphic statements: FACE A FACE

7th December 2020

Stripes for the face: Bocca Pixel 3 and Bahia 3 by FACE A FACE

A few gorgeous and graphic horizontal striped frames have come to our attention this season, as the fashion trend for bold stripes – horizontal, vertical and/or zigzag, wide narrow or even classic marine styles – really holds renewed appeal. Whether it’s because it’s a trend that’s viewed as a safe and easy staple, the slight nod to the popular 1990s fashion era is also in its favour.

Among the stripey glasses highlights we spotted at the independent labels are modern acetate editions Bahia 3 and Pixel 3 by French label FACE A FACE – both using a translucent lined acetate with a delicate yet “digitalised” look that presents a graphic and bold illusion of movement, right across the front. Above: the Bahia3 by FACE A FACE in stripes with red detail; this chic style is also available in two other color variations, a striking blue and a bright fresh turquoise. The frame concept is inspired by Op Art and comes in four different wearable shapes.

BOCCA Pixel 3: a one-of-a-kind visual treat – with a pixelated edging and horizontal narrow lines in transparent striped amber acetate

The Pixel 3, a style in the well known Bocca collection is the most out there of the two “striped” designs, with its extraordinary edging, in a series of steps inspired by the labyrinths of the Dutch artist, M.C. Escher. The cute end tips, once “heels” or shoes” – are now abstracted – replaced by a pixel form with tiny highlighter toned fluo details. BOCCA Pixel 3 comes in a total of 5 amazing colorways, including transparent striped amber and a very exciting graduated frozen bordeaux.

FACE A FACE glasses are available at fine independent optical retailers. To see more of our latest “favourite finds” in the FACE A FACE collections click on the link: https://www.eyestylist.com/2020/11/op-art-inspired-face-a-face-hollow/ For more details and to locate your nearest stockist, visit www.faceaface-paris.com. This feature was written by Clodagh Norton. All rights reserved.

Design + Inspiration

Intuitive colour: Folc Eyewear

1st December 2020

Barcelona-based designer Marta Llinares Perez of Folc Eyewear has a particularly beautiful mood-enhancing glasses colour palette for the months ahead

Seasonal colours for Spring are already on our Eyestylist horizons as winter sets in! And with the intense situation of recent months, a move toward calm, positive, tranquil colours looks set to be an immediately appealing, essential stimulus for good energy and optimism in 2021.

Folc Eyewear’s (Barcelona) new imagery struck a chord with our editorial team. The colour palette of the collection – which features striking, bevelled architectural acetate shapes, some with an oversized design and ‘sculpted’ finish – includes light tones of aqua and touches of blue as well as deeper forest green hues and delightful transparent cantaloupe or rose. Above: model Roundy – glasses colour – aqua mix by Folc Eyewear

Folc Eyewear – model Lizy green combo – with a deep red temple tone

These tones, against a fresh and stimulating backdrop + styling focusing on details in coral, aqua mint and soft neutrals were instantly representative of a definitive trend toward a softness and lightness in the new collections, paving the way for a new vibrancy and visual purity that calls for simple, flattering tones that we can easily enjoy to wear. (more…)

Reviews

Retro classic style: Fleye – Edward

26th November 2020

Fusing modern materials together in one small spectacle design is an art, and one at which the finest of the independent labels excel. The modern style of the Edward frame by Fleye Copenhagen – one of Denmark’s leaders in fine frame creation – is an example of a combination in raw carbon fibre, colored wood and beta-titanium, where each material complements another, balancing lightness and comfort, alongside contemporary style and design. Above: model Edward by Fleye Copenhagen – a round eye shape with narrow beta titanium bridge and hinge detail

Close-up of model Edward by Fleye Copenhagen – 3 materials in one frame

“Each frame is the intersection of craft and art, representing our vision for modern designs, crafted to last.” Fleye Copenhagen

Part of the Elements of Art collection, a range designed as a tribute to the Thorvaldsens Museum in Copenhagen, achieved through a thorough and complex project of experimentation and creative research, this frame offers a shape suited to men and women, with exceptional refinement in the finish and the surface pattern of the wood and an interesting minimal colour palette, reproduced with skill and precision in different artistic combinations.

rolf. /></a></div></div><p>For more details about the Fleye Copenhagen collection “Elements of Art” click on the link: <a href=

https://www.eyestylist.com/2020/09/fleye-copenhagen-elements-of-art-2/

Design + Inspiration

Op-art inspired: FACE A FACE Hollow

24th November 2020

The Parisian label proposes a new visual experience in its latest collections. Hollow, a concept playing with transparency, neon and multi-textured surfaces is one of the highlights in the collection for the season to come.

Bold. Intense. Almost dizzying. With artistic references, interpreted in creative “graphic effects”. Hollow by FACE A FACE is one of the concept styles for the new season, a grouping of frames crafted in homage to artists of extraordinary stature: Escher, Vasarely and Bridget Riley. Above: the new FACE A FACE campaign, featuring the Hollow frame.

HOLLOW1: layering up in new season colour – a bold, round eye shape by FACE A FACE

Hollow1 – now available in 8 individualistic colorways, is at its most dramatic in the new flash blue under a contrasting shocking fresh papaya tone that highlights the details. Furthermore, the style boasts a precision machined shaping under the temple, with a front that displays different layers to create texture and an illusion of light. The frame is closely inspired by Bridget Riley and her works where geometry and optical effects are explored along with exciting notions of how to combine colours where the tones boldly echo one another and interact together.

HOLLOW3 – a classic shape with a colourful update

In Hollow3, neon touches punctuate the completely clear temple tips, and seem to be suspended in the air; the glittery and pearly tones highlight the futuristic spirit of the design.

Created in Paris more than 20 years ago, FACE A FACE has become a contemporary reference in eyewear. Inspired by the boldness of modern art – a beloved theme of creative director Pascal Jaulent – the brand remains audacious and avant-garde while displaying a creativity in colours and expressions that has brought them recognition and accolades through many years. For further details: www.faceaface-paris.com

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