Eyestylist

The New Year opens with opti 2023, taking place this weekend in Munich. The fair will be a chance to view a wide range of new eyewear products and reunite with friends and colleagues in the industry

As the industry looks forward to meeting up at opti 2023, creative eyewear company are preparing to reveal new collections and innovative products in Munich, at an event incorporating premium brands, newcomers, start-ups and some of eyewear’s favourite designers and ‘visionaries’.

The fair programme will focus on the themes of myopia management and sustainability for visitors, in recognition of the value of these topics for the year 2023. The key trends for the new season will also be underlined, among them colour and material directions – the organisers are highlighting, among other trends, Transparency, Athleisure Eyewear, Metal Frames, and Colour Gradients.

The event will also host the opti BOX award 2023, for young innovative labels on Saturday 14th January 2023. The award’s criteria include “Innovation”, “Design & Function” and “Sustainability”.

Above: The French eyewear brand Lunettes Alf will show at the Wolf Continental stand, Hall C2 / Stand 561 – Alf has made a name for itself in Germany and Austria – the brand offers timeless classics in elegant, beautifully finished, acetate colours

FACE A FACE promises an array of refreshing, desirable colour proposals, with kaleidoscopic colour effects (model Kaledo), and elegantly sculpted two-tone and three-tone designs. The new models extend the concepts informed by the Memphis movement which were first released in Paris in 2022. For opti, find FACE A FACE with Design Eyewear Group at Hall C2 / Stand 661.

Article One exhibit with their sister company l.a.Eyeworks at Hall C1 / Stand 347 this week. They have introduced a series of fine everyday metal designs into the main line collection; they will also show their Active Sunglasses Range, a tasteful and timeless athleisure-oriented, sports-inspired range that leads the way in quality-driven, technically atuned eyewear suited to sporty, design-oriented individuals who love outdoor pursuits.

Götti Switzerland is introducing BIONIC at opti, a new sustainable collection inspired by nature. The glasses are 3D printed from a single sustainable material created from castor beans.

BAARS has announced a new collection called Manifeste, which mirrors the architectural concept of the Pompidou centre by Renzo Piano and Richard Rodgers. The new products based on this unique inspiration will be shown for the first time at opti at Hall C1 Stand 650.

opti takes place from 13th to 15th January 2023 at the Fairground Munich. For further details visit http://www.opti.de

PFB (Peoples from Barbados) launch a collaboration edition with Linda Farrow

Inspired by the colourful sunsets of the Caribbean islands, a new edition created in a collab between eyewear brand, Linda Farrow and PFB, has been launched in Barbados at EYE Q Stylist Opticians.

The Special Edition, offered as sunglasses or blue light blocking glasses, represents a glamorous contemporary design where a fusion of the chic and soulful Bajan spirit and Caribbean colour palette of PFB with the fine quality and luxurious design excellence of Linda Farrow has been fully expressed.

A unisex shape, based on a timeless iconic Linda Farrow design, the frame has been released in three unique Bajan colorations with fronts in tortoiseshell, midnight blue, or sand-toned crystal. The glamorous, eye-catching sunset gradient tones adorn thick statement acetate temples, inspired by three different moments during the colourful setting of the Caribbean sun. For more information visit www.peoplesfrombarbados.com Find out more about Peoples from Barbados on Eyestylist – https://www.eyestylist.com/2020/12/oversized-glasses-peoples-from-barbados/

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.