Jono Hennessy is as passionate about Australia as he is about eyewear. His latest collection is influenced by the huge variety of flowers native to Australia, as well as native bush flowers from the desert. Modgraff 8418 is a slim, delicate acetate design with ivory crystals, and the contemporary shape enhances the relaxed elegance. Modgraff 8418 is available in four beautiful colour combinations – featured above. Visit www.jonohennessy.com for additional designs from the newest releases. JG
Annie and Vanessa are the founders of London brand Frame Chain, a fast moving eyewear accessories brand that is pushing all the right buttons in fashion retail and leading optical boutiques, across the world. As the duo get ready to pack their bags for Capsule, Eyestylist asked them to explain their quick path to success.
How did it all start? (Annie:) I have champagne taste and lemonade budgets! I lost about four pairs of glasses in a week and couldn’t afford to replace them. So I bought a cheap chain for my last pair. I would scour Europe looking for chic ones that didn’t look like a shoe lace or turn my neck green. I failed! So I hounded my then flat mate, soon to be business partner and best friend to make some- she was designing jewelry at the time. To shut me up she suggested we do it together, and FRAME CHAIN was born.
Liberty were the first retailer to stock us in 2014, and they continue to. This is incredible validation and we used their nod of approval to grow confidence in our idea. We have awesome stockists around the globe- mainly independent kick-ass optical boutiques with incredible talent for curated store concepts. We have been suprised by the success in Greece. The Middle East can’t get enough of the pearls! We are in Spain, France, Portugal, and even the Maldives and Taiwan.
You are both creative and very entrepreneurial…would you agree? Thank you for that – it’s a huge compliment. We both love to do things – to make things happen, to go on adventures and be useful! Vanessa is much more creative than I am. She can draw, design, build you a wall, design a house and bake incredible cakes! She is always thinking laterally; her approach to life is unique and pure. She has her own business already and thrives on having freedom to make things happen.
My nick name is ‘the whirlwind’- I am so excitable and determined that if you don’t know me it could feel like you are in a whirlwind. When I have my mind set on something, I make it happen. I studied biology, chemistry and maths, but I love to draw and make things with my hands. That 50/50 ‘left brain right brain’ gives me a good foundation for business. Plus we are both from up north and LOVE to talk and meet new people.
We like to think we are two sides of the same coin, two minds, one vision. We ebb and flow in and out of different roles. We are both designing, both selling, both creating. I do more of the spread sheet things and Vanessa does more of the visual and creative things. We do what we need to to make our little dream a reality. There is no formula!
Can you describe your latest chains in the collection as there were a few new ones at SILMO, and tell us what you feel your direction is in 2018. We always start with the idea of jewelry. Chains that we want to wear – first and foremost – as a necklace or increasingly as earrings. This season, we focused on that a lot, developing it in three ways:
– the pearl range expanded, with new colours and sizes. Pearls are a trend and here to stay and we are having a lot of fun with this. We are playing with the idea of earrings. So styles like ‘loop de loop’ and ‘drop it’ have embellishments perfectly placed to hang like earrings. There is more of this to come for the summer and the the festival season. And now we are really playing with colours. By introducing rhodium and black enamel for our more masculine fans, we have pushed more rose gold and mixed the metals and colours on one chain. Find more details at www.framechain.com CN
Frames with a double-bridge are long time favourites for spectacle wearers – bonafide classics. What is new however, is the diverse double-bridge designs enjoying even more recognition with chic interpretations in a variety of materials, and they are crafted into sleek shapes with double-bridges that make a difference. Götti’s new Perspective designs (above) with sculptural shapes are aesthetically beautiful; minimalist creations in superb quality Sandvik stainless steel, elegantly lightweight, and produced in Götti’s own premises in Switzerland.www.gotti.ch
Miamai Eyewear in Germany has expanded their collection with new designs in stainless steel.The collection is made with exacting German precision, as seen in style 5006-003, which is immaculately streamlined with two-tone colourations for a stylish statement.www.miamai-eyewear.de
Sunglasses with a double-bridge possess a special glamour in stainless steel with a silky rose matte finish and a generous round shape. Manu by Neubau fuses retro and contemporary elements for a luxurious look. www.neubau-eyewear.com
L.a. Eyeworks highlight a flirtatious double-bridge in matt black titanium, crafted in Japan. The purity in Calvino is embellished with a unique take on the double-bridge concept – connecting timeless characteristics with trendy charm. www.laeyeworks.com
The SoHo Collection is the latest frame excitement from Jean-François Rey, with a “double-double-bridge” as the lens shape also sports a “double-bridge” in style SH2005. Made in France in stainless steel, the rich colouration with the brushed finish is a special JF Rey process. www.jfrey.fr
Anna-Karin Karlsson takes an unusual view of the double-bridge with a mini-version on her splendid cat-eye design in metal, with a smooth, pearly finish on the frame front. The Cross is from the sumptuous optical collection by the Swedish designer. www.annakarinkarlsson.com
Industrial flair and vintage touches unite in SALT. Optics frame Resin. The intriguing grooved lines are achieved with layering and are customised, resulting in a fresh, clean detail on the Brushed Honey Gold titanium design. www.saltoptics.com JG
A unique exhibition is currently on display at the elegant Philip Mould Gallery on Pall Mall in London, celebrating the collaboration of hat designer Victoria Grant and portrait artist Lorna May Wadsworth. The two artists are inspired by each other: Wadsworth unveils a large-scale portrait of Grant; and Victoria has created a selection of imaginative headwear influenced by Lorna, history and historical costume. An extra special touch are the charming portrait miniatures in the Philip Mould & Co. collection that accent the beret and top hat designs by Victoria. (Top image: Lorna May Wadsworth and Victoria Grant, with the Wadsworth portrait of Victoria. Photo:Barney Cokeliss)
Long before photography existed, portrait miniatures were love tokens – a very personal item – painted by celebrated artists of the era. The miniatures were often worn on the body by both men and women, and used as accessories on coats, dresses and hats. The exhibition seeks to remind viewers that these highly personal and intimate objects, now generally displayed in cabinets or on walls, were often originally intended to be proudly worn. Philip Mould portrait miniature consultant Emma Rutherford, will also be examining the history of the hat jewel, and its portrayal in various historical pictures.
With a royal wedding in the offing for Prince Harry and Megan Markle in May, the great interest after what dress the bride will wear is about hats. Royal etiquette dictates that all women attending an official royal occasion must wear a head covering. Victoria Grant was one of the top milliners for the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Among Grant’s many clients are models, fashion luminaries, and superstars. Her hat designs range from luxurious chic to radical avant-garde for couture houses.
The Philip Mould Gallery represents Lorna May Wadsworth, and the award-winning portrait painter’s work runs the spectrum from politicians to priests. She painted former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in five private sittings at her home in 2007, plus David Blunkett during his tenure as Home Secretary, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. This unique event celebrates the enduring cross-pollination between portraiture and fashion in anticipation of London Fashion Week. The Milliner at Philip Mould Gallery continues through 18th February. www.philipmould.com JG
Improving lives with better vision
Geographically, Norway and Fiji would seem to have nothing in common, yet they are intricately linked with eye care projects. When Kirsten and Lars Iversen started their eyewear company – Karmoie – in 2010, their goal was to create a brand that was also committed to sustainability and social issues. This visionary perspective connected Karmoie to Eyejusters, and now the Norwegian brand donates corrective glasses to people around the world. The project had great appeal to Kirsten and Lars, with the realisation that there are approximately 700 million people who live without the glasses that they truly need. These circumstances can result in poorer education; restricted work; lost opportunities; and an estimated global economic loss of over £200 billion per year. (Top image: Lars and Kirsten Iversen)
The association with Eyejusters has enabled Kirsten and Lars to work on projects in Morocco and Uganda, plus travelling to South Sudan and Fiji to see first hand how the clinics work. They have discovered the experience to be inspirational; invigorating; heart-warming; and emotionally rewarding as well. “We have interesting stories,” related Kirsten, “like when we were on one of the smallest islands in Fiji, and met a woman who had broken her glasses irreparably a few years ago. She hadn’t been able to see an optometrist and get new glasses, so she tried to manage without. To see the emotion on her face when she could see again with glasses was really moving.
“On Cicia in Fiji, we worked with teenagers, and one girl wanted glasses, but didn’t need them. She tried to fool us during the eye test! She was hanging around the compound, so we asked her to help us out as an interpreter. She was smart, kind and graceful, and the patients responded really well to having one of their own be such an active part of the eye care team. We were able to shift her desire for her own pair of glasses, into an interest for eye care and performing vision tests.” Kirsten and Lars noted that in South Sudan and Fiji, the logistics, infrastructure and access are the main challenges. The Eyejusters system is easy to teach, and that has motivated local aid workers to pursue more eye care training.
“To Lars and I, gratitude and giving back go together. Honestly, knowing how blessed you are without wanting to show generosity in return feels shallow. We wanted giving back to be an intrinsic part of our product, rather than dependent on our financial success. We donate one pair of corrective glasses for every pair of Karmoie frames or sunglasses we sell. Creating your own company and starting up can at times, be quite exhausting. The fact that we can feel good about what we do, and how we give back is invaluable when it comes to motivating us to push through when it gets tough.”
Karmoie designs are created in Norway – in an Oslo atelier – inspired by beautiful, crisp, Nordic nature and Scandinavian minimalism. Karmoie was awarded the Butterfly Mark, a prestigious acknowledgement powered by Positive Luxury, for their commitment to protect the planet’s resources. www.karmoie.com JG