Sources of inspiration include ancient mosaics, 19th century eyewear + Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia in Barcelona
A second collaboration series between artisan fashion designer Uma Wang and the avant-garde eyewear innovators from Hong Kong, Rigards caught the attention of Paris Fashion Week at the fashion designer’s much talked about RTW Spring 2020 catwalk show.
The two designs – UW5 and UW10 – are intentionally closely linked to the previous models, with an aesthetic derived from 19th century eyewear. Above: backstage at Uma Wang, Paris Fashion Week – collaboration design UW10
UW10, (a codename for the 10th anniversary of Wang’s brand) was undertaken as a follow-up design to the successful prior collaboration design, the UW1.
Conceived from a thread that runs through Wang’s latest collection (the golden age of Pompeii), Rigards’ Ti Kwa says they “zoomed in on the smallest element of the decorative arts of the Roman Empire, extrapolating it into something uncommonly inventive.” An eco-friendly bio-acetate is used for the side shield inspired by ancient mosaic glass tiles—” these are as vivid now as they were 2000 years ago, relicts of Pompeii preserved by Vesuvius and the passage of time.”
A further historic inspiration came from the extraordinary stained glass windows at Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, conceptualized by the great Antoni Gaudi and designed and produced by artist Joan Vila-Grau, a highlight of Kwa’s recent tour to Barcelona.
This frame, nicknamed “The Shanghai”, honors another artistic treasure, particularly dear to Wang. The exquisite Old Shanghai Art Deco stained glass windows are a legacy of the once-flourishing, now forgotten Jesuit Tushanwan Orphanage and its exceptional young foundling apprentices. The frame is produced in five spectacular shades, each one a literal rendering of seeing the world through tinted specs.
With an aesthetic derived from 19th century eyeware, UW5 (The Victorian II) reflects the design vocabulary of UW3, a prior collaboration with a minimal silhouette.
The so called “owl-eye” style has been increased in size and thus works ideally for wider faces. “Building with copper allows the application of our exclusive, proprietary ‘Time Machine’ hand-aging process,” says Ti Kwa. “What emerged wer the most beautiful examples of metal coloring—expressive, painterly patina that further enhance the personality of the frames, as though weathered by the passing decades.”
Uma Wang’s Pompeii inspired show took place in Paris in September featuring the collaboration frames with Rigards on the catwalk. For more information about the two brands visit www.rigards.com and www.umawang.com CN
