Eyestylist

Enthusiasm and anticipation mounts as the 2016 edition of OPTI-Munich opens on Friday this week. The impact of eyewear and its global perspective is evident with thirty-seven countries participating. Choice and creativity will feature abundantly! ROLF, who produces artisan eyewear in the heart of the Tyrolean Alps, sets the pace with Flaminia 202 (above) from the “excellence collection.” Beautiful, natural woods – eucalyptus and silver oak – ensure a distinctive frame for women with feminine contours and sophistication. www.rolf-spectacles.com

Retro and modern concepts elegantly unite in Sven Götti’s Tamal ultra-light sunglasses. The authentic round panto shape is orchestrated in Titanium, with half-mirrored lenses – cool and chic! Tamal also features the patented SPIN & STOW technology developed by Götti Switzerland, enabling the frames to be folded and stowed away with a simple twist. www.gotti.ch

Togo – by Luca Gnecchi Ruscone at L.G.R. – merges past and present, with an intriguing design in metal and acetate. Handcrafted in Italy, the sunglasses have contemporary, flat zero-base tempered mineral lenses, and – the trend to note – a perfectly round shape. Available in luxurious colours of Matt Black with gold mirror lenses (shown) Silver/Black, and Havana with Green Vintage lenses. www.lgrworld.com

Retro, round and combining the past with haute-technology enriches eyewear design. Eric Balzan at HAPTER launches a new model at OPTI-Munich – Optical D055  – with a sleek panto-shape and lightweight nylor construction. Italian fabric in beautiful colourations from the prestigious Cerruti 1881 Mills feature on the top bar and temples. Classic and modern! www.hapter.it

Fun, colourful, and coveted shapes in striking colours is the fashion news from Zoobug for SS 2016. Kid’s needs and eye care are the primary consideration at Zoobug, and Super (above) features fine quality, polarised lenses with 100% UV protection. Find Zoobug and the trendy collection for children (optical and sunglasses) at OPTI-Munich at REM – stand C1.229 www.zoobug.com OPTI-Munich 15-17 January Fairground Messe Müchen www.opti.de JG

A New Year is a great time for fresh starts and fabulous new eyewear. Creative artisans ensure that beautiful, elegant and amazing frames bring style and originality to the forefront of eyewear. LINDBERG takes a daring approach to sunglasses with an avant-garde design with floating lenses – entirely unique and a speciality in the brand’s solar collection. Style 8403 showcases LINDBERG’s high performance, cut-out frame with exceptional quality and fine, customised craftsmanship. Apparent, Iconic luxury. The Danish brand will be exhibiting at OPTI-Munich 15-17 January. www.lindberg.com

Anna-Karin Karlsson launches the New Year with glamorous sunglasses and delicate handmade butterflies that are dipped in 24 Carat gold. The Swedish creator sculpts fine acetate into Lady Bird’s graceful curves, with the end tips also dipped in 24 Carat gold. Find more luxuruious frames from AKK at www.annakarinkarlsson.com

Roland Mouret brings a confident, masterstroke of design to Hudson – sunglasses with a sleek aviator shape – and a Tortoiseshell flat brow bar. The individuality of the design reflects the French designers’s approach to his stylish women’s wear collection. www.rolandmouret.com JG

The round silhouette stays in the eyewear headlines for 2016. Whether minimal in metal or chic in acetate, new designs reference old ones with inventive details and alluring colour tones and combinations. Pollipò from Rome, in true Italian style, brings a chic form into an up-to-date context with a pretty pastel colour that’s stylish for Spring. www.pollipocchiali.it

Produced by Kering, the PM 0005S from jewellery label Pomellato, has a graceful modified round shape that pays its respects to vintage designs. A super shiny gold detail where the temple meets the front adds a new element of refinement to a shape and colour palette that is evocative of the 60s when the Pomellato label was first created by Pino Rabolini. www.kering.com

Blanca from the Berlin label ic! berlin expresses a new direction for high-quality metal sunglasses oozing with glamour and fashion finesse. The very very fine double bridge – with slim top bar – and the flat surfaces (frame and lenses) are a key look for the S/S season, here combined with an intensely bright lens hue – our favourite colour combination is this subtle silvery grey with sky blue graduated sun lenses. www.ic-berlin.de CN

Germany’s Opti Munich show is fast approaching, a stage for international eyewear, creative designers, and emerging labels. Among the additions to the show this year, Opti will introduce !HOT, a dedicated area (located within Hall C1) highlighting hand-selected design talent and a new selection of labels that compliment the showcase of designs exhibited in the established YES! area (Hall C4). The fair attracts a large number of leading independent eyewear companies from Europe, Asia and the USA.

Orgreen Optics, the designer eyewear company from Copenhagen, returns to the show with their high quality titanium frames, and a campaign that pays tribute to late 70s and early 80s New Wave bands, featuring Nikolaj Hübbe (Artistic Director of the Royal Danish Ballet) and Maja Krag (Unique Models) – pictured above. www.orgreenoptics.com

British luxury designers Finest Seven, led by Jesse Stevens, are to exhibit with their new metal collection for the first time – exquisitely light and elegant, with very narrow proportions and oversized lenses, the frames offer a superb balance of design quality and attentive finishing. www.finestseven.com

Face à Face continue their exciting work in aluminium, with a new series where comfort and style go hand in hand. Alium K, featuring two shapes, each in five colour combinations with be on show at the Fairground Messe Munchen,  alongside their new Alium sunglasses for men. www.faceaface-paris.com

Tavat Eyewear confirm they will present new models under their ³SoupCan² Collection and ³All Acetate² versions for optical frames with clip on options. Also showing are newly released shapes in the metal/acetate SoupCan sunglasses range, with the striking “sandwich” frame construction (pictured above) – www.tavat-eyewear.com

New editions from established French label Lafont Paris include the magical Genie, a reedition of the well-known ‘Jean Lafont’ 1980s classic with curved key hole bridge.  www.lafont.com

Opti Munich takes place from 15th to 17th January 2016 at Fairground Messe Munchen, www.opti.de. The event showcases some of the most famous eyewear labels alongside new and emerging international designers. CN