Eyestylist

The emerging eyewear house, Paloceras is quietly establishing itself on the global fashion map. This month, the brand marks a significant milestone with a launch in New York, unveiling two new silhouettes in its acclaimed Pebble collection, alongside a striking palette of new colours and combinations across the entire range. Eyestylist spoke with founders Mika Matikainen and Alexis Perron-Corriveau about their creative partnership, the brand’s origins, and the pursuit of innovation that drives their distinctive take on eyewear design.

What were you working on before starting Paloceras? Alexis: I grew up in Montreal and began my career as a woodworker, creating bespoke furniture and architectural pieces. That hands-on experience led me to pursue product design at university in Montreal. After working locally, I felt the need to look beyond Canada and applied to ECAL in Lausanne to study in the Master’s program in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship. That’s where I met Mika. We both completed the program, and from there, Paloceras began to take shape.

Mika: My background is in digital design. I had been working as an art director at an advertising agency in Finland, and later with tech companies, mostly in digital product design. After years of working in digital environments, I started longing for something more physical. While living in London during a COVID lockdown, I took a walk with a designer friend and we spoke possible futures and a Swiss design school ECAL came up. I applied, was accepted, and that decision shifted everything. Alexis and I met there. I was coming from digital, seeking tactility, while he was coming from craft, interested in digital. Our skills were complementary, and we felt it made sense to try something together, though we had no fixed idea of what that would be. Toward the end of the programme, Alexis began exploring sunglasses in his thesis. We started prototyping and eventually committed to making eyewear. We had no idea how complex the field would turn out to be.  Above: Alexis Perron-Corriveau, Design Director (left) and Mika Matikainen, Creative Director (right), Paloceras – photo by Anderson Martinez

How did you come up with the name Paloceras and begin to build the brand? Mika: Once we decided to do something together, we needed a name. I was still living in Switzerland at the time and one day, while walking through a park, I saw butterflies. I started thinking about the Latin word for butterfly, Rhopalocera. I removed the “Rho,” added an “s,” and checked availability. To our surprise, everything was free – domains, handles, all of it. I called Alexis immediately.

Alexis: We met at a small African café in Lausanne and decided that was it. We registered the name right there. That was even before we had thought of the Pebble collection.

How long did it take to develop the inflated acetate aesthetic, and where are the frames made? Alexis: It was a long journey. We set out to make something that felt unfamiliar in a category where most designs seemed too similar. While we are not claiming to reinvent eyewear, we wanted to create shapes that would be immediately recognisable as Paloceras. We experimented with acetate and used physics software and digital tools to explore unconventional forms. That led us to inflated shapes.

We reached out to manufacturers in Italy and France, both close to our base in Portugal, but the technology to produce the shapes we wanted was not available. Eventually, I travelled to Shenzhen, where we found a small, highly skilled team with the right capabilities. Their process uses a moulded approach closer to injection moulding, specifically adapted for acetate. At the time, this technique wasn’t available in Europe, and even now, it’s far from common. The real expertise still lives in Shenzhen, so we had to go straight to the source.

Is there a level of innovation in the production techniques themselves? Alexis: Absolutely. The moulding process requires different machinery and skills compared to traditional acetate manufacturing. This combination of design intent and technical execution is what allows us to push boundaries. I have visited the team in Shenzhen several times. It was important for us to see the production first-hand, to understand the working conditions and ensure they met our standards. We are transparent about our partnership there because the work is excellent and the collaboration is strong.

The Pebble collection quickly gained attention in fashion circles. Was that the goal from the beginning? Mika: We wanted to approach eyewear as a functional object with emotional and aesthetic impact. The category often views itself through a technical or optical lens. We wanted to see what would happen if we looked at it through fashion.

Alexis: It began as a creative experiment, but always with the ambition to connect with people. My Master’s thesis focused on sunglasses and their cultural significance. What I realised was that the eyewear world is full of gatekeepers. There are few independents, and it is a difficult industry to break into. That challenge pushed us further.

Mika: I have always been interested in the point where design, technology and business meet. For me, staying in one of those domains would not have been enough. With eyewear, it was not just about designing something new. It was about building something with a broader creative ecosystem. We now collaborate with artists, especially through our London atelier, where we craft bespoke designs. These partnerships allow other creative visions to exist within Paloceras, which makes the brand more than a product, so it becomes a platform.

You recently introduced two new shapes: VX Aviator and DX Diamond. What led to these designs? Mika: The collection started with one square and one round shape. That was never going to be enough. Aviators and cat-eyes are popular, but we wanted to reimagine them through our own language.

Alexis: There is a delicate balance between making a sculpture and making something wearable. That tension drives us. The Aviator is bold and recognisable. The Diamond has an angular, edgier character. It nods to the cat-eye but is more neutral. We want our pieces to be for everyone, so we avoided a fully feminine silhouette. These new shapes also respond to what people have been asking for – more variety, new forms, and more colour.

Mika: Colour has been a big part of our evolution this year. Beyond classics like black and tortoise, we are introducing dual laminations and full tones based on our own experiments. Some are made using Mazzucchelli’s custom laminates, others we developed ourselves by combining different magnetic colours. It is a big leap forward for the Pebble collection.

You are based between Portugal and Finland. How does that structure work for you? Mika: Most of our team is in Finland now. Alexis is still based in Lisbon, where we do the biggest part of our prototyping and have the design studio.

Alexis: Portugal was the original home of the brand. For the first year, everything was developed there digitally. When Mika returned to Finland for family reasons, we adapted and found a rhythm that works for us both.

What are you working on next?  Mika: We are preparing to unveil our first optical collection.

Alexis: Development is already under way. We plan to present the collection in September at Silmo in Paris. Having an optical line is important for our retail partners. These new pieces are designed for everyday wear, while keeping the same creative ethos as our sunglasses.

Paloceras sunglasses are available at Paloceras.com and select opticians worldwide, including Black Optical, Atelier Mira, Gogosha Optique, I Visionari and Framed Ewe. The brand will be present at Silmo Paris in September 2025. Find out more about the collection at the Eyestylist link here https://www.eyestylist.com/2025/05/paloceras-pebble-collection-ss25/ and visit www.paloceras.com

Interview by Clodagh Norton. All rights reserved.