RG0318JM: inspired by the 1920s and the Chrysler Building
Delicate, sinuous with a small, elegant eye shape, a new handmade frame by Rigards references the 1920s and the Art Deco Style. The frame is a special release created in collaboration with Kamonuj, and designed for Juno Mak, the multi-talented actor, singer, and director who has his own namesake brand.
The frame’s ‘modernist’ all-steel form with sleek lines and slim planes gently graduates, from “pseudo-pentagonal on the inner rims to hexagonal on the outer rims.” A striking clip design – produced in ultra light titanium – is inspired by the Art Deco Style and the iconic Chrysler Building, particularly evident in the evocative bridge echoing the tower’s over-scaled yet exquisite architectural details, including the neo-Gothic eagle-head gargoyles, and frieze ornaments shaped like the winged helmet of the Roman deity, Mercury.
Attachable to an eyeglass chain, the sun-clip doubles as a pendant that can be worn three ways (opened, collapsed, or folded), allowing for ample versatility befitting of a style icon. The RG0318JM is now available in 5 distinct textural colours. Find out more at www.rigards.com
Eyestylist top 10 features 2022
Our most read content of 2022 is here in review….
1. Specs by Kyla A wine bar, distillery and restaurant surround the independent eyewear boutique ‘Specs by Kyla’ in downtown Atascadero on the central coast of California. A small town with a lot of change of growth underway, Kyla says she has been amazingly busy in her first 12 months. https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/08/specs-by-kyla/
2. A Sustainable Vision: Optanicals Bringing a new meaning to ‘sustainable eyewear’, Optanicals considers their impact on the planet in every aspect of their business model – even their name takes inspiration from Mother Earth. With frames in wood and beans to styles in recycled repurposed materials and strictly fitting their store with old furniture – to name just a few of these endeavours – the company truly sets a bar for optical businesses looking to make a step towards a greener future. https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/06/uniquely-sustainable-optanicals-weimar-germany/
5. Iggy Pop for Cutler and Gross x The Great Frog A collaboration of distinction / Iggy Pop in Jack Waterlot campaign An exclusive eyewear edition by Cutler and Gross and British Rock ‘n’ Roll jewellers, The Great Frog, launched at www.cutlerandgross.com as Iggy Pop is revealed as the face of the campaign. Photographed by Jack Waterlot in Coral Gables – the musician is seen in close up wearing the sunglass models… https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/05/iggy-pop-for-cutler-and-gross-x-the-great-frog/
6. Kirk & Kirk pop-up opens in Shoreditch “Connecting with the customer, raising visibility…”Kirk & Kirk have opened a pop-up store in Redchurch Street, in Shoreditch, one of London’s most prestigious fashion, food and lifestyle destinations. The gallery-like space, which presents the Kirk & Kirk frames in bright neon boxes against a stark white backdrop, offers a complete introduction to the eyewear collection and its history, with video presentation and virtual try-on as well as the actual frames on display. https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/09/kirk-kirk-pop-up-opens-in-shoreditch/
7. 10 questions – Johnnie Rousso, Athens Coming from a family of opticians, Johnnie Rousso was always destined to travel down the optical career path. Since its establishment in 2016, his eponymous, bar-themed boutique has become widely regarded as one of Europe’s premier optical stores. Eyestylist speaks to the eccentric, extroverted founder and visionary following a personal visit to the store in Athens in February 2022… https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/07/10-questions-johnnie-rousso-athens/
8. Lafont Paris: eco-responsible, creative design At Lafont Paris, a steadfast ‘step-by-step’ approach to the development of a genuine responsible sustainable path has involved the introduction of bio-acetate and an experimental material concept for colourful Limited Edition “upcycled” acetates. https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/11/lafont-paris-eco-responsible-creative-design/
9. Silmo 2022 – energy and style The international optical community gathered for Silmo at the Villepinte exhibition in Paris, for a September weekend that was filled with bright sunshine, energy, enthusiasm for fresh new eyewear, and a colourful upbeat, overriding theme….https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/09/silmo-2022-energy-and-style/
10. Ludens mask The renewal of the collaboration between Jean-François Rey and the famous Japanese video game designer Hideo Kojima is presented through dramatic design work, futuristic in style inspired by the video game, Death Stranding (Kojima Productions). The innovative spirit of Jean-François Rey and his experienced design team and the creative world of Kojima fuse without limitation in this collection which comprises 4 new models….https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/05/hideo-kojima-x-jean-francois-rey-collaborative-collection-2022/
We wish all our readers and sponsors a wonderful holiday time!
Pedro da Silva, VAVA’s founder: looking ahead
Eyewear label VAVA pushes the envelope with their avantgarde design, commitment to sustainability and distinctive collaboration work which has included designs with Patricia Mamona and with the architect, Kengo Kuma. Pedro da Silva shared some personal insights on the brand and what he is currently working on, from the opening of new offices, and a major new collaboration launch for MIDO to finalising the designs for the collection which will show at Silmo 2023.
What are you working on this week? As usual I’m working on several things at the same time. The priority is to finalize, together with our Sustainabiliy department and Graphic Designer, our first Sustainability Report regarding the year 2021. I’ve also been working a lot this week on our new office building project. This year we have bought a 600sqm space in a post-industrial building in the city of Porto. It’s an ongoing project work we started several months; we are transforming this old industrial space in a beautiful new office. I’m also finalizing the designs of the SILMO 2023 collection, which we need to start prototyping now. Designing product is always a big responsibility, and this week I need to finalise the collection! I’m very happy with the new concepts planned for SILMO 2023.
What was your most important release at SILMO 2022 and what was the feedback? Our most important release at SILMO this year was model BL0034, which was nominated for a Silmo d´Or. A small unisex square sunglass shape, with round lenses, this minimalistic model stands out for its super small silhouette, nonetheless, the model is interesting because it can fit a great variety of faces due to its generous width of 145mm.
The feedback we received on this style was extremely positive. Customers liked the uniqueness and the avant-garde concept of the model. They were surprised that such a small sunglass could fit so many different faces. The best market feedback for us was the fact that this model was totally sold out by the second day of SILMO. We are bringing it back again for the MIDO fair in February, with new colorways.
VAVA is involved in projects outside eyewear…..what was the NEOPOP installation? Do particular styles or concepts of art work inspire you? We have always collaborated with Electronic Music Festivals. Back in 2014, the year of VAVA’s launch, we did an important installation at SONAR Barcelona called “RE-ENVISION”. This year we did a beautiful installation at the first SONAR Lisbon. This summer VAVA presented the SPEED – SLEEP installation at NeoPop festival. This space seeks, ultimately, to become a converging point of exchange between customers, artists and music lovers. The installation aimed to explore the dialect between Speed and Sleep. When one first examines the history of the modern age, its seems to be predominantly a history of SPEED. Avant-garde art and design has been visibly in the vanguard of this development and has produced plenty of inventions and innovations that keep the world moving. We are witnesses to the fact that the fascination for speed has been tied to its exact opposite – the desire to pull back and slow down, SLEEP, the craving for relaxation and contemplation. Modern life increasingly imposes itself as a flow of two complementary tendencies: speed and sleep. VAVA’s installation at NeoPop reflected this dualism in a unique way, moving towards a critical theme of modern society.
My keen interest for the Bauhaus movement and minimalism goes back a long way. Basic shapes played a pivotal role in Bauhaus ideas and the way they taught art. Basic and simple shapes, like squares, circles and triangles, the most common shapes in the industrial world stimulate my vision in design. Much of the man-made world is composed of these shapes. On the other hand, I’m very much inspired by science fiction, films like Metropolis, Blade Runner and Space Odyssey, that results from an excessively one-sided belief in technological progress. I wanted to make a label that could associate the highly conceptual language of machinery and the arts. Ultimately, the brand aims to achieve a contemporaneous basic look and at the time an aesthetic which is conceptual and timeless.
Sustainability has become an important focus in what you develop. What is VAVA doing that is over and above the ordinary in this field? Back in 2014, VAVA was already putting efforts into creating a more sustainable product – a task in which we succeeded – but since then we have put so much of our energy – as so many start-ups do – into trying to navigate through the big waves of the industry. But WE – and society as a whole – need to do much more because the changes required simply are not happening fast enough.
Today VAVA shares this sense of urgency. We must act now. In 2021, with the launch of THEOREM, we entered a new phase, an era where sustainability plays the leading role, and this will be our most important project in the coming years. We are working hard to play our part in the global transition and create a more sustainable product, all the while being a business who truly lives by its values. Protecting our planet must go beyond downsizing our own environmental footprint.
“It is vital that independent labels lead the way and implement advanced sustainability programmes. We are very proud to be launching our first ever sustainability report….”
As we head towards Xmas and then a series of optical fairs (opti/100% Optical and MIDO) what are you preparing, can you give us a sneak peak? We are pleased to announce that at MIDO 2023 we will be showcasing a very important collaboration with an American Musician. She is a pioneer of electronic music who has been pushing the boundaries of music. She is a musician, sound designer and composer, who found early success in the 1970s with her electronic music and sound effects for films and television commercials. She has been also Grammy Award nominated. We will announce more about her before MIDO!
At the same time, and in time for opti, we will be presenting our newest models from the aluminum series – they had been completely sold out for some time. Our customers will be happy to have them back again. We will launch some ‘carryover’ models in new VAVA colours. Find out more about VAVA Eyewear at https://vavaeyewear.com. Portrait photo (top) by Amanda Sellem (at Silmo 2022), exclusively for Eyestylist.com.
Sustainability highlighted: opti 2023
The German fair, opti, is welcoming many of the innovators in sustainable eyewear design, as well as several up-and-coming brands with a fresh point of view
Opti Munich, which takes place from 13th to 15th January 2023, is highlighting sustainable eyewear innovations, and will welcome some of the most important leaders and newcomers in the field, brands committed to a more sustainable future, minimising their environmental impact and engaging in activities that are sustainable across all stages of their work. Above: ROLF Spectacles from Austria; the company produces natural eyewear including 3D printed frames made from castor beans. Since its inception, the label has been committed to the production of more climate-considerate products – produced exclusively in the Tyrol – Stand 470, Hall C2 – www.rolf-spectacles.com
B Corp Certified company, Sea2see will exhibit at Stand 423 in Hall C1. Their “sustainable” frames are made from recycled marine plastic; the waste material is removed from the sea and coastal areas of Africa by their own nonprofit, the Sea2see Foundation. Find out more about their pioneering sustainable activities at www.sea2see.org
In 2022, NEUBAU introduced their Natural Acetate frames, made from “a purely plant-based material composition of cotton and wood. Contrary to traditionally used acetates, this sustainable material creation is made without harmful components and uses only plant-based plasticizers. As a result, the material is considered biodegradable and particularly environmentally friendly”, states the NEUBAU team. NEUBAU will attend opti with a new collaboration collection with the fashion label ODEEH. (Stand 545 Hall C2) – www.neubau-eyewear.com
Hoffmann Natural Eyewear (Stand 641 Hall C1) will attend opti with new classical, luxurious designs in the Timeless DNA Collection. Hoffmann uses exclusive materials which are ethically sourced. An underlying principle at Hoffmann is “being aware of nature’s needs and resources and actively protecting them.” www.hoffmann-eyewear.com
Exhibiting in the opti BOX area, Leipzig Eyewear work quite unconventionally in partnership with a local coffee roastery, a local fashion label and a local family business that produces lemonade. “We offer each other mutual support, expertise, networking activities and also models. This saves money and time,” explains Paul Nestler, who is responsible for marketing at LEIPZIG Eyewear. The label was founded two years ago; all production processes at LEIPZIG Eyewear take place under one roof so there are no long delivery routes or wait times for the goods. The materials they use include German stainless steel and polyamide powder from recycled sports clothes. www.leipzig-eyewear.de
opti takes place at the Fairground Munich from 13th to 15th January 2023. Find out more at the website, www.opti.de
Binokle: a standout store in Krakow, Poland
Founded in 2014, Binokle is a unique, female-owned independent eyewear boutique based in Krakow, Poland that offers customers a hands-on optical styling approach paired with an extensive range of artistically designed frames. Situated in a country that neighbours Ukraine, recent years haven’t been easy for the boutique, but their list of loyal clientele only continues to grow. Victoria G. L. Brunton spoke to founder Paulina Bajdas to find out more…
Tell us a little about yourself: your education / professional background…My name is Paulina Bajdas, I live in Krakow and I opened Binokle at the beginning of 2014. People often ask me why I decided to start my business, and it’s because I wanted to contribute to the local community. I was seeking self-accomplishment, my place in the world, and had worked in different industries looking for things that I was good at. There was a period in my life when I worked as a stylist, in a shop belonging to a well-known chain of optical salons. There, I noticed that people found it difficult to choose frames that fit them and also that the eyewear market in Krakow was very limited. Clients usually find themselves being offered mass-produced glasses, and the whole market of independent brands was being ignored.
I graduated with a Masters in business management alongside a two-year diploma in styling and make-up. At that time, I decided to enrol in an optics school and began looking for financing to open the first Krakow eyewear shop with independent brands. My first choice was MOSCOT, I was actually the first person to import this brand to Poland. After that, I successfully started to bring in new brands that I discovered during optics exhibitions in Milan, Paris and Munich. Later on, I decided to expand my knowledge and I finished optometry at the Medical University in Poznań.
How do you select the brands you stock? I want all the frames in my shop to be top-notch quality, I don’t want to see my clients being forced to return here with a complaint. I feel satisfied when selling high quality products and my customer service is second to none. Another important aspect of the products I stock is interesting and extraordinary design. From the very beginning, my goal was to offer frames that people feel comfortable with but also feel special wearing. A lot of my customers are not afraid to highlight their appearance with bold frames. I stock brands from all over the world, and because of that I introduce aesthetics from different places; from minimalistic Scandinavian style to Spanish brands that are colorful, bold and without limitations. I travel a lot, and in doing so I look for inspiration. When I visited Lisbon, for example, I was inspired by a beautiful shop with vintage frames. After that experience, I decided to introduce a small vintage collection in Binokle — it was well received.
Did you always want to work in fashion / eyewear or was it an offshoot of another passion? Before opening the store, I worked as a stylist on photoshoots. I always had a feel for aesthetics and style. Like a photographer who can always find a good composition and capture the real character of whoever’s being photographed, on seeing a client I immediately know which frames would complement their character in the best possible way. That is a kind of talent.
Does Binokle have a certain type of customer? If I would need to describe the type of clients that visit us, I would say that they are very aware of what they want, they don’t blindly follow trends and they look for the best quality in a unique form. For them, showing off a brand name is not at all important; what matters most is an interesting design. I’m lucky to have a pleasant, open list of clientele and a lot of regular customers who buy frames only from me.
What have been some of the most popular trends within the Polish eyewear market? After the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, I got a lot of calls from people asking what glasses Johnny was wearing and where they could get them. Frankly speaking, I don’t care about trends. I value timeless design – something which doesn’t necessarily mean classic and boring, but rather pieces that won’t go out of fashion in a couple of years. When a client decides to wear a pair of my frames that they bought 5 years ago, nobody will say they’re unfashionable. The only pattern that I notice is that my clients are attached to certain brands and their line of products. However, I am well aware that my products are only of interest to a small percentage of all eyewear users.
How does the current political situation with Russia and Ukraine affect business, if at all? When the war in Ukraine broke out, life in Krakow stopped for a whole two weeks. Shops and restaurants were empty, all the inhabitants were primarily focused on helping refugees and we put our energy into helping Ukrainians. Simultaneously, we feared the worst. “What will happen with Poland?” This was on everybody’s mind. However, life needs to go on and local businesses won’t function if there aren’t any clients, so we swiftly went back to normal. I’m proud that my fellow citizens managed to face this problematic situation with strength and courage; our Eastern European neighbours are our brothers and sisters.
Are there any Polish eyewear brands / designers you’re excited about at the moment? No one Polish is on my radar at the moment, unfortunately, but I admire Kasia Łupińska at Massada.
Tell us about the performance / dancers we saw on your Instagram recently? This was a project about the pandemic, portraying a certain feeling of emptiness that surrounded us during isolation. It was an expression of hope and fear of uncertainty. These dancers from Krakow Dance Theatre perform behind shop windows annually, Binokle was one among other boutiques selling niche brands that participated this year. It was the third consecutive year that I had the pleasure of welcoming these artists into my store. A lot of people gathered to watch; I am always thrilled to see so many people participating in local artistic events. (more…)