Traveller protection, financial gain and luck are all attributed to the Roman god Mercurio, and are inspiration for expressive sunglasses at Res/Rei. Oliviero Zanon mimics the god aesthetics with side “wings” that feature cut-out slits. The frame is a harmonious blend of vintage, modernity, and the avant-gard in lustrous Mazzucchelli acetate, and sophisticated colourations. Visit www.resrei.com for the latest vibrant designs handcrafted in Italy. JG
The twin-spired Cathedral, Museum Ludwig and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum are among the many treasures to be found in the two thousand year old city of Cologne, Germany. Located on the historic Rhine River, the city is a major centre for the Rhineland, with numerous cultural landmarks. This weekend – May 6-7 – Cologne is the landmark destination for creative eyewear by independent designers. The 2017 edition of Die Brillenmesse will be held at Dock One on the banks of the Rhine.
A superb line up of new and established eyewear creators will present their latest optical and sunglass collections. Participants include Götti Switzerland; Lafont Paris; Adrian Marwitz; Orgreen; Andy Wolf Eyewear; Miamai; Von Arkel; Pride Eyewear; Anne et Valentin; and Blackfin among many others. Vintage eyewear specialists Alexander Dosiehn and Christian Metzler will be on hand with items from their fabulous retro collections. In addition, both Saturday and Sunday, there will be Think Tank seminars with informative presentations on marketing, social media, technology and other topics. Die Brillenmesse Köln is the perfect opportunity to view Blackfin’s glamorous summer sunglasses (top image: Oyster Bay), along with their chic optical designs with evocative shapes, and inspiring technology. www.blackfin.eu
Götti Switzerland is presenting several exciting collections with optical and sunglass selections: elegant rimless designs from Götti Perspective, the superbly crafted Götti Dimension – 3D printed eyewear, and lightweight beauties in ultrathin titanium, including Lynn (above). www.gotti.ch
A passion for Cazal eyewear led Alexander Dosiehn to become an avid collector of the German made frames. Doshien recalled: “The more I was into Cazal, the more models I discovered that I couldn’t miss. I guess it’s the same principle for everyone collecting something; the more you dive into it, the more you get addicted. Most of the time it’s the hunt, not the treasure!” www.dosiehn.com
Pride Eyewear launched in 2015 and the Italian brand has already garnered a prestigious Silmo d’Or award. Their latest collection will be presented in Cologne – frames with distinctive shapes, a unique blend of technologies and materials, and fabulous colours. Crafting eyewear is truly an Italian art form, and all Pride eyewear is handmade in Italy. www.prideeyewear.it
Provocative shapes, materials, and fabulous lenses highlight the Venice based Barberini Eyewear collections. Specialist glass lenses are a Barberini heritage, including the trademark Platinum Glass, available in fantastic colours. www.barberinieyewear.it
Discover for yourself inspirational, glamorous and unusual fashion forward eyewear at Die Brillenmesse Köln May 6-7 at Dock One. More details at www.diebrillenmesse.de JG
Timeless Danish design characterises the individualistic creations by FLEYE Copenhagen. Annette Esto shares with Eyestylist the heritage of the design driven collections.
Please tell us about the history of Fleye Copenhagen. “FLEYE was founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2002 by my two partners, Hanne Anderson and Lars Halstroem, and I. All three of us worked together in another company where we also designed eyewear: we did a lot of export and attended the same fairs as now. All the experience that we had, good and bad, was fundamental when we made our business plan for FLEYE. From day one, we asked ourselves: why should people buy frames from us? What can we offer that is different from what is already on the market? At the time other brands made very thin and invisible frames, so we decided to go in another direction, to be more expressive, more colourful and different, and customers loved if from the beginning. We wanted to have a red thread in all that we did: corporate colours, designed shipping boxes and a very high service level. We tried to do our very best, just like we do today.”
FLEYE designs are eco-friendly – could you please share with us the background on this concept? “All of our eyewear frames are allergy-friendly and made from nickel-free materials. As an optician I have seen many customers suffer from nickel, especially 25 years ago before the CE marking was mandatory. It makes sense to invest in the best material that does not contain any nickel.”
The frame colours are gorgeous – are you inspired by nature? fashion? travel? art? “Thank you. After I started to design frames, I looked at the world in a different way. My eyes always (without even focusing on it) search for details, patterns, colours, structure, and materials that I can use or be inspired by. When I travelled in India I visited the Taj Mahal early morning to study how the Marble Palace changed colours from sunrise to sunset. The patterns are not noticeable at first, but when light is striking them magic happens. I used the colours in its combination in our collection. The same happened in Marrakesh with all their grids in the buildings, and the lovely colours of the earth in the mountains outside the city. Shanghai by night at The Bund inspired me to use bright coloured temples together with black carbon fibre (the black Yangse River against the colourful skyscrapers). I am also inspired by trends in everything from subcultures, art and architecture to interior design and fashion.”
What materials are your favourite in which to create frames? “A tough question because it all appeals to me, especially when I can combine carbon with natural wood, and the flexibility in beta-titanium temples. I love warm and exciting colours and acetate patterns. I was wondering how to achieve that in a carbon frame, so we coloured our wooden surfaces in the most beautiful shades of Indigo Blue, Majestic Purple and Velvet Black.”
What is the customer profile of the FLEYE frame wearer? “FLEYE is for the urban, modern day consumer with a strong sense of design aesthetics, and a confident attitude of individual expression who appreciates wearing a frame that is light, comfortable and eco friendly. Style has nothing to do with age.”
This year marks the 15th anniversary of FLEYE. What are the most defining changes in eyewear that you have experienced during this time? “I see a shift from eyewear being a medical product to being an accessory. If you could not see, then you needed glasses. But now glasses are no longer focused primarily on function, but on fashion too. Eyewear is now seen as an expression of style, and just as important a statement as shoes, bags and jewellery.”
As a brand that sells globally, how do you foresee the market unfolding in the next two-three years? “In the future we will see much more competition of the low price segment vs. the high-end segment including innovation, brand concept and corporate identity. Design wise I think shapes will be more edgy in a geometric way.There will be space for niche and independent designs – it may be slim and simple styles, or bold and demanding.” www.fleye.dk JG
2017 represents an invigorating moment of achievement at Ørgreen Optics, the Danish eyewear design company that has become synonymous with cutting-edge minimal titanium frames, produced in Japan. The mood this year is all about eyewear excellence and the driving force of the label, innovation, experimentation and design expertise as they celebrate 20 years.
Eyestylist met Henrik Ørgreen for a taste of what’s coming over cocktails at Brønnum, a favourite haunt of the Danish entrepreneur who lives just round the corner. “We are seen as a pioneering design company, and that is what we are celebrating again. We have started this year with several new Limited Editions, and there is a lot more to show including a huge focus on our company’s proven technical capabilities through a new concept we will launch at Silmo and a reexploration of our roots and the materials we first came to market with. 2018 is going to represent another key phase for us as we must keep improving what we do through exploration and pushing our capabilities that little bit further once again. There are very many collections out there today and I always benchmark with that and challenge it.”
“Already the year has shown the dynamic attitude of the team with the launch of new Limited Editions and more to come.” High End High Tech is one of those new releases (above). Two round panto styles complementing each other in colour and in shape, and focused on technology with digitally inspired colours and the titanium material, known as a Nasa favourite for spacecraft construction.
The square style Rook (above) and more rounded Taurus are part of the Out of Orbit Capsule. Rook is named after Montes Rook, the ring-shaped mountain range on the far side of the moon that’s only visible from the edge from Earth. The exciting colour options include allusions to lunar rock formations and stone-effect surface patterns – a first in titanium, and perfectly in keeping with the mood of experimentation seen at Opti Munich where the On Fire collection – featuring “out-there” frames with a “burnt surface” – were first on display. For more details on the new Collections launching at Ørgreen Optics keep your eye on www.orgreenoptics.com CN
Whether your destination is Martinique or Miami, Capri or Cannes – don’t leave home without Blackfin’s striking Martinique sunglasses. The stunning vintage aura, with a voluminous round shape, features a contemporary double-layered eyebrow line in two different colours, reflecting the colouring of the temples. Pure titanium enhances the unison of design and technology. More info on Blackfin’s glamorous sunglasses at www.blackfin.eu JG