W-Eye
Presented for the first time this week, the Italian brand W-Eye’s new collection in wood and aluminium introduces new colour schemes and a new Alpi rainbow decoration, featured here on the interior of the frame. This colouring is inspired by the multicoloured plumage of the Rainbow Bee Eater, and is achieved by dying multi-laminar wood sheets by Alpi, a firm reconstructs/reprocesses wood. The raw material comes from the trunks of Ayous trees, from environmentally managed forests in Central Africa. There is a lot of technical work done here to achieve the designs and to create the detailed colouring….I like the attention to comfort which is always very precise in Matteo Ragni’s designs, the two layers of aluminium combined with 7 sheets of wood make these frames super flexible and the frames are hingeless so they are very light indeed. They are also lovingly finished by hand so they are beautifully smooth to the touch, gorgeous modified catseye and very original construction. CN
www.w-eye.it
Gemma
Kirk Originals
Just checked this one out in Paris…the brand new Beam Collection from the British cult brand Kirk Originals is made of acrylic, an unusual choice in eyewear, that innovator Jason Kirk has been using for temples combined with other materials since the late 1990s. The result is beautiful, as the material has a lovely shine when polished, similar to that of glass, and the intensity of the colours is striking. Handmade in France, the frames are unusual in that they do not need re-enforcing wires in the temples, so the lines remain pure. Shapes are oversized as is typical of the Kirk Originals brand, and a new colour process allows bright hues to merge and separate in tones of fluo orange, yellow, pink and acqua. RRP 420 euros. Available immediately at the Kirk Originals flagship store in London. www.kirkoriginals.com
Panache
BOZ
This is a really distinctive looking frame with an eccentric temple. An intricate decoupage technique is used to create the front. Drops of coloured lacquer are applied by hand to the openings in the metal with an extremely traditional and delicate process, creating a lace effect. The lenses look as if they are floating but in fact a nylon thread holds them in place.
BOZ is produced by the French designer Jean Francois Rey, and his wife Joelle. The range is inspired by textiles and nature, and has a very feminine yet unique look. It always catches my eye for the painstaking attention to detail and hand-finishing. CN
ME2
Markus T
This is a German brand which turns out sleek titanium designs, that are perfectly engineered to deliver high levels of comfort…winner of the Red Dot Design award this year, the ME2 from Markus T is its latest innovation combining both titanium and a synthetic material referred to as TMi, two antiallergenic components that are very lightweight. This design is completely free from screws, and it has lots of user-friendly technical advantages such as easy-to-adjust temples. A good-looking, minimal line which also includes sunglass designs, fitted with a choice of grey or brown polarized lenses. CN
Anthony Meima
Meima Eyewear
1st October 2011 Anthony Meima’s original design goal was to create jewellery. The eyewear industry and customers are fortunate that he changed his mind! Once Meima started optical studies, he became intrigued with the creation of frames. “I worked as a Product Manager for Beausoleil and Christian Lacroix, and became fascinated with acetate. Then I started to make my own designs by hand, and bought my own machine, which I had at home, then a second machine! I made prototypes for Chloë and frames for fashion shows.”
This is clearly a man who persists. And that persistence has paid off with his beautiful collections that are sold globally. As we chat in his charming little atelier in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, Meima expresses his passion for design and frames, and particularly his love of acetate. “Acetate is fabulous”, he enthuses, as he spreads a multitude of acetate colorations and gradations on the table, “and I really understand what goes into a pair of frames, and what makes quality frames expensive, because I made my own. The construction of my frames in particular, is quite special, because of the thickness that I like on the temples. What is sad is that it’s more and more difficult to find artisans to make frames like this, young people are not going into this trade.”
Meimas’s collections include ophthalmic and sunglass styles for men and women, with everything handmade in France. Certain styles have a thin strip of crystal in the design, giving the frame a luminous sheen and feeling of light. “I find inspiration everywhere, especially with travel, and people in the streets, or in the bus,” says Meima, “plus, the style and influence of the Bauhaus period is another inspiration. I don’t want to make crazy frames; I like classical shapes with a modern look.”
And this Meima has achieved with grace and elegance. www.meima.fr JG