In a gorgeous shade of Jade that expresses summer vitality, Sonia by Zac Posen is a chic, voluminous design for maximum style statement. The American fashion designer merges his timeless concepts for women’s clothing into feminine and graceful eyewear designs. The latest collection of optical styles includes wonderful variety in shape, colours, and materials. Discover more at www.kenmarkoptical.com JG
Exquisite jewels and precious materials are celebrated in eyewear, with iconic style and superb crafting – jewels for the eyes. Lovely stones distinguish watches, rings, necklaces and earrings – and the results are even more stunning in eyewear. The LINDBERG Precious collection features distinctive designs in the finest materials and stones sourced from exclusive mines. The LINDBERG design above is meticulously crafted in 18 caret solid rose gold with 1 x 0.33 caret baguette cut pink diamond, plus 1 x 0.38 caret baguette cut pink diamond. Refined and glamorous! A testament to LINDBERG’s 85 international awards for eyewear excellence. www.lindberg.com
A single piece of rich buffalo horn is superbly crafted into The Taurus from the MONOCEROS collection, handcrafted in Austria. The design is a new interpretation of a classic horn frame, with its vintage referenced round shape. The Taurus has been recognised as a 2017 Green Product Selection. Horn has long been used in eyewear; however, the MONOCEROS collection is a new contemporary manifestation of nature, glamour and luxury. www.monoceros.cc
Birgitte Falvin understands the link between jewellery and fine eyewear. Before launching her frame collection, her metier was fine jewellery. FALVIN designs specialise in traditional eyewear techniques to ensure long-lasting quality and beauty. “It is an aesthetic attitude,” says Birgitte, “and our titanium frames are crafted in Japan.” Twilight in matte black features a layer of palladium with sleek streamlined contours. www.falvin.dk
Art Deco inspired opulence, highlights the latest Atelier collection, handcrafted with geometric styling to capture the iconic style of the era. Baguette diamonds and beautiful gemstones radiate grace and finesse, coupled with Silhouettes’s design and technical expertise. www.silhouette.com JG
A special thank you to Ti Kwa of Rigards for introducing us to Haute Eye, a leading independent eyewear store in Seoul – with a selection of collections that is both creative and individual.
The store is located in the bustling Mapo district of South Korea’s capital, a busy shopping destination close to universities, a huge variety of restaurants, coffee shops and eateries as well as famous nightspots – all in all, a thriving, fun place to visit with large crowds and lots of atmosphere.
“We have many European collections and artisan editions,” explained the team who welcomed me and allowed me a look in some of the cabinets brimming with designer collections like theo, Vava and Mykita. “Rigards is a recent addition for us. We are also specialising in emerging Korean labels…Stealer is the new one, with ophthalmic and sun styles – made exclusively in steel – they are comfortable and very wearable, as well as cool.” (www.stealereyewear.com). Sister brand – Muzik, was created in 2013 and is produced exclusively in France (www.muzikeyewear.com).
In a small space, Haute Eye shows what can be done to offer the discerning eyewear enthusiast a unique choice of the latest eyewear – with the focus on emerging talent alongside creative icons. Watch this space for future news at Haute Eye. www.hauteeye.com/ CN
It is always a pleasure to introduce a new quality eyewear label. Belgian brand Komorebi has caught our interest with its clean designs produced in Japanese titanium and carefully selected Mazzucchelli acetate. Each of the models is inspired by transparency, light and reflection, based on ‘komorebi’, the Japanese word for “sunlight shining through the leaves”.
Komorebi eyewear works closely with small creative workshops in Belgium and Europe to create its frames and eyewear cases. Model Velma, a unisex sandblasted titanium frame has a gentle aesthetic that is clean, minimal and delicate but appealingly different.
The frame is hand-polished on the outer surface to create a bright shiny finish. The end tips on all the designs are based on stylised leaves – a signature of the brand. Komorebi was launched in Spring 2017. The brand will be present at the Paris optics fair Silmo in October. www.komorebi.be CN
Among l.a. Eyework’s latest – and striking – collection is the voluminous, fun and graphic design – Dublin. Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds always pioneer the unexpected in eyewear with demonstrative shapes, lovely materials, and elite colours. Crafted in acetate in Italy, the combination of Tea Sparkle Tile with Tiger Eye colourations ensure this is a memorable design. Visit www.laeyeworks.com for an adventure in creative eyewear. JG