Eyestylist

Fakoshima x Manish Arora

26th March 2016

Clashing colour, bindu motifs and rotating lenses…thanks to a sizzling new collaboration between Russian eyewear brand Fakoshima and fashion designer Manish Arora, exotic details are flourishing for 2016. The limited edition launched this month includes five individual styles, inspired by the mood and themes of Arora’s clothing collection, playing with shapes referencing the classic round, aviator and iconic cat eye, in deliberately experimental yet masterful designs.

Drawing on diverse inspiration, including African culture, masks and cowboy ornaments, the result is a giddying mix of colourful frames with gold inlays, eye catching lens hues and truly dramatic forms.

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A round shape with snake eye slit to enhance the mask effect — Round shape with snake eye slit: enhancing the mask effect

Established in 2012, Fakoshima has achieved notoriety in the world of fashion and eyewear with its conceptual designs created with new technologies and traditional handcrafting. www.fakoshima.com / www.manisharora.com CN

Reviews

Smoke x Mirrors SM142

24th March 2016

A series of statement sunnies by the US label Smoke x Mirrors plays with acetate and clever combinations of colour and shape for instant impact and fashion-led flair. The Sodapop collection includes five quirky shapes: model SM142 layers a circle over a modified softened triangle in silky acetate with an old-world 50s infused pattern similar to mother-of-pearl. Colour combinations offer a welcome solution for the transition into the warmer Spring days: as well as a pretty grey/white pairing (above), find exclusive tortoise with a bright pop of yellow and super soft pale pink with white. For full details visit www.smokexmirrors.com CN

Design + Inspiration

Especially for children

23rd March 2016

Contemporary shapes, appealing colours, materials with beauty and safety features keynote new designs for youngsters. Frames for children require precise construction in order to comfortably fit little faces, as well as be fashionable – important for today’s super-aware young set. British brand Zoobug has launched exciting, colourful new optical styles. ZB1020 in Navy (above) is rubber flex and the shape is ultra-flattering for young girls. The frame is also available in pretty pastels of Pink and Mint. Zoobug photo by Wanda Kujacz www.zoobug.com

Very grown up and sophisticated is LINDBERG’S titanium frame for children, which is hypoallergenic, lightweight, flexible and strong. Delicate cat-eye shaping in Julija (above) brings contemporary glamour to children’s eyewear. www.lindberg.com

Tortoiseshell is a favourite adult frame colour – and for children as well. Lafont Paris – with their speciality range of children’s frames – includes TAC (above) a smart tortoiseshell acetate design with contrasting sides in apple green. Detailed attention to fit is one of the many advantages of the frames. www.lafont.com

Brilliant blue acetate is a striking colour for Ghent (above) from the lovely collection of kid’s frames by Red Kids Eyewear. The Netherlands brand has created a new hinge system that is easy to replace if youngsters are too rambunctious in the playground! Visit www.redoptical.com for more designs.

For children and young teenagers, OMAN (above) by JF Rey is equipped with the Just Adjust Concept – exclusive to the French company. The colourful round shape in glossy acetate is innovative, stylish, and looks super on young faces. www.jfrey.fr JG

Reviews

8381 by Jono Hennessy

22nd March 2016

The stunning beauty of Australian Botanical plants and flowers is the theme for the lovely new Limited Edition collection by Jono Hennessy. Flattering angularly sculpted shapes and expressive colours in acetate and metal influence the frames, as seen in style 8381 (above) in lush Lechenaultia Blue. Other gorgeous colours include Sturt Desert Pea and Outback Ochre. For more details on this special collection visit www.jonohennessy.com JG

Boutiques

Family optics in Munich

21st March 2016

Hans Schneider and his daughter Sina gave us a warm welcome in Munich, on a cold snowy evening during the annual eyewear event Opti. Their family-run store, located close to the universities and prestigious art galleries opened at this very same address in October 1970, and, as Hans and his daughter explained, the whole interior, as it was then, has been preserved. “We have only needed to renovate the floor,” explained Sina. “My father had the interior furnished by an “optical” furniture specialist from Hanover (a rarity at that time!), according to his own taste and design brief.”

During the first two years’ of business, Scheider recalled that he sold Zeiss lenses, opera glasses and Rodenstock lenses and spectacles. It wasn’t until 1972 that he added some of the up-and-coming Italian eyewear labels; and as things began to change and the choice in collections grew, Schneider took a selection of fine eyewear designs including the German labels Cazal and Jil Sander – at that time sold directly by the design house itself – and, by the early 80s, Alain Mikli from France.

Client trying on frames at a Brillen Schneider open evening — Open evening for guests, Brillen Schneider

“Today, with the vast number of collections available, we are still seeking out the innovators and designers that show excellence, quality and detailing. We have selected items that my father and I both identify as individual and of good quality…we are working with brands like Lindberg, Oliver Peoples, PQ and Eyevan from Japan,” says Sina. “I love some of the more underground styles by Activist in Brooklyn. My father has an incredible appreciation of all things that are well made, using traditional techniques, but he is also known for recommending the very individual frames produced with a modern, more daring aesthetic. He has a real eye for which frame will suit a customer, young or old, and true expertise when it comes to finding something different. He’s inspirational.”

Brillen Schneider, Amalienstr. 33/32, 80799 Munich, Germany www.brillen-schneider.de CN

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