Eyestylist

INTRO | Frames Forward: luxury eyewear event

5th October 2022

An Athens showroom event for eyewear aficionados takes place this October

‘INTRO | Frames Forward’ organisers have announced their next Athens event which will take place on 15th and 16th October 2022. An exclusive (trade only) ‘Personal Edition’ for the optical community in Greece, the event will welcome just 9 unique luxury eyewear collections, including Lapima, Pontet Eyewear and Etudes.

“The second INTRO event to be held in Athens, the signature of this edition is casual and simple,” say co-founders and eyewear entrepreneurs, Natalia Klimi and Maria Angeloudi. “Our philosophy is to host our clients in a comfortable and tasteful environment and offer them a selection of brands that capture the essence of the market, including recent trends.” Above and below: SOLID EVENTS will host the Athens event

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

First launched in Athens in 2021, INTRO | Frames Forward also arranges their event in Thessaloniki in Northern Greece on an annual basis. The co-founders Maria Angeloudi and Natalia Klimi, who are both experts in the field of eyewear, are passionate about bringing the latest and best in eyewear to the retailers of Greece, with whom they have created a unique and well established network.

SOLID EVENTS: a cool, contemporary setting for presentation of the latest luxury eyewear collections

‘INTRO | Frames Forward’ takes place at SOLID EVENTS, 1 Omirou Str, Neo Psychiko 15451 Athens. There will be an open bar on both days, starting at 8pm! For more details visit www.introshow.gr For enquiries contact [email protected]

Reviews

TVR®531: 21st century Japanese craft

3rd October 2022

TVR® OPT marks 10th Anniversary (2013 – 2023) with a new Classic French Vintage revival in the French-Arnel silhouette – the style is consistent with the TVR® OPT tradition for handcrafting and fine material combinations

TVR® OPT has released another new revival of the Classic French Vintage in the French-Arnel silhouette — the TVR®531 French Vintage. The frames take inspiration from the 1940s and 1950s iconic ‘French-Arnel’, a style which has its origins in classical French eyewear design. The Japanese artisans at TVR® OPT found two pairs of French-Arnel glasses from the 1940s and 1950s in its archives, which gave them inspiration to work on new hand-finished details, re designing the classic shapes for one new and beautifully finished line. Above: TVR®531 French Vintage

TVR®531 2023 Edition has a luxurious metal temple core – the Zylonite frame comes in many colours, from Army green to Classic Black (pictured)

“Taste is very important. You must have taste and a sophisticated sense. You need to look past the invisible flaws in order to see the beauty in handmade products. Good designs made using machines and good designs made by hand are incomparable. Remember this.” — Eizo Onami, master craftsman

The new TVR®531 French Vintage is a culmination of TVR®504 and TVR®516 (both best-sellers for the brand) with a slight redesign on the top – the iconic ‘Crown Panto’. The frames also have a Baroque Style 17th Century engraved metal core for a subtle yet extravagant detailing at the temples. The core is created by means of a meticulous process with particular attention to the refined detail. For more information about the handmade Japanese label TVR® OPT, visit https://www.tvropt.eu/product/arnel / www.tvropt.com

Design + Inspiration

Silmo 2022: energy and style

28th September 2022

Exceptional variety in product design, quality craftsmanship and technical innovation were key features of the collections exhibited at the Paris optical fair this year – small and voluminous shapes were displayed side by side, material and colour combinations were innovative, paying attention to small details, and a mix of adventurous concepts and minimalist design work offered something for everyone; sustainability and social and environmental commitments remain talking points for all sizes of brand

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. After a scaled-down version in 2021, this year the Halls of the Silmo show were filled with bold and imaginative stand designs and bright, eye-catching displays, some with exciting art works, creating a lively, revitalised ambiance across the show.

Above: Titanium model Eiffel 1 by FACE A FACE -machined to reveal fine ‘interrupted’ lines – the colour combinations focus on dark backgrounds brought to life with bright neon tones – www.faceaface-paris.com

Monaco by Lafont Paris: a modernised classic with a luxurious and bold structure (www.lafont.com)

Shapes that are distinctive, graphic, thick and sculptural and characterised by the interesting possibilities of hand “carved” bevelling are plentiful across collections for the season; eyewear designers are working like artists to create unique effects that lend a very refined aesthetic – reworking with raw edges, shiny and matt contrasts, and highly polished or unpolished surfaces. Round, oval and soft “roundish-oval” shapes have re-emerged as a strong focus alongside squares, cateyes, pantos and wonderfully unusual shapes that celebrate individuality and a nonchalant ‘joie de vivre’.

Hoffmann Natural Eyewear – S-line: substantial buffalo horn frame with natural colour dye applied, creating the refined nature-inspired green finish (https://hoffmann-eyewear.com)

Natural, sustainable, 3D printed and recycled materials were plentiful at the fair this year. The classics such as luxurious buffalo horn and wood continue to be well represented, right through to the popular sustainable choice, Eastman Acetate Renew. MYKITA has fully switched to Eastman Acetate Renew, stating that “the innovative material has made a complete pivot possible without compromising the appearance or performance of MYKITA’s handcrafted eyewear design” (www.mykita.com)

MYKITA has adopted Eastman Acetate Renew across their collections

Experimental materials with an eco orientation were also attracting interest at the fair, with brands like Ochis (Ukraine) (https://ochis.co) showing their styles made from used coffee granules and colourful natural flower petals; ROLF was showing their portfolio of natural materials and the intriguing subtle textures in their 3D printed Substance and Substance Mount line, made from castor beans (www.rolf-spectacles.com).

Alberte by Fleye Copenhagen, in beta titanium – everyday eyewear with a pure minimal design

Fine quality metal materials were well represented, ever popular for their strength, lightness, minimalist aesthetic and long life; they included titanium, beta titanium, and stainless steel. At Fleye Copenhagen, the models like Alberte (above) with a pure minimal design offer a timeless style for every day. The Alberte model comes in sandblasted colours and is characterised by a very delicate pattern engraved on the temple (www.fleye.dk).

In the much loved Silmo D’Or show awards, highlights included a win for Jason and Karen Kirk for their Kirk and Kirk two-tone optical design Thor in handmade acrylic (www.kirkandkirk.com) while the Japanese designer Masahiro Maruyama won the Sunglasses Category (Eyewear Designer) for his Kintsugi MM-0078 sunglasses based on the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

Thor at Kirk and Kirk: a Silmo D’Or winner

New breakthrough technology was also recognised in the Silmo D’Or awards. In the category Technological Innovation in Connected Products, Sweden’s SKUGGA Technology (https://skugga.com) won the award for their miniaturised patented smart module which can be integrated into any frame design, sunglasses or optical. Companies such as McLaren Vision and Inspecs are already working with the company to launch smart eyewear products in the coming months.

Masahiromaruyama MM-0078 won a Silmo D’Or – pictured in Black-Gold with smoke lens

A pair of performance sunglasses with a lens which changes colour in 1 second in any tint between 17% and 42% of transmission won the Silmo D’Or in the sport category. The product “Bot with IRID lenses” is designed by ‘Out Of’ (https://out-of.com).

Silmo Paris will take place next year from 29th September to 2nd October 2023. For more information about the Silmo show and the Silmo D’Or event this September, visit www.silmoparis.com For further comment on trends and directions, watch this space…

Design + Inspiration

“Artful objects which stand the test of time” by RIGARDS

26th September 2022

RIGARDS’ Masterpiece collection ushers in a new decade for the avantgarde artisan label

Distinguished by their signature nonconformist designs, known particularly for exceptional innovation in artisanal craftsmanship, the eyewear label RIGARDS announces their elegant new ‘Masterpiece’ designs, created as ” the antithesis of eyewear as a disposable commodity”. As is typical of the collection, the frames are realized with a largely plastic-free material palette that radiates the virtues of nature. Through time, the materials evolve gracefully, developing a patina that reflects the wearer’s unique experiences. Above: RIGARDS RG1088TI, a model that radiates pure sophistication – the artistry is seen in the bevelling; the striking decagon / quasi-dodecagon shape is unique to the label

RIGARDS RG1010ZC – for Ziggy Chen

Created for avant-garde designer Ziggy Chen, style RG1010ZC showcases smooth horizontal lines. The atypical oval shape is complemented by a sculptural bridge and finely hand-knurled inner rims. Interesting jewel-like knurling, applied by cold-working the titanium into a grooved pattern, catches the light, attracting attention towards the wearer’s eyes. The frame comes with a lock-in clip which immediately transforms the style from optical to sun.

RIGARDS RG1924TI has what the RIGARDS’ team describes as a “dipped silhouette inspired by biomorphic forms in the natural landscape and the off-beat shaped closed ring within the RIGARDS’ logo”. A sunglass-clip with a shape that complements the design of the main frame enhances the interplay of light and shadow, undulating lines and featured bevelling. For further details visit www.rigards.com

Reviews

Silmo 2022: VAVA – BL0034 sunglasses

23rd September 2022

Silmo d’Or nominated, the futuristic bio acetate sunglasses play with the contrast of round lenses inside a square eye shape

VAVA Eyewear’s bio-acetate sunglass style – BL0034 – which has been nominated for a Silmo d’Or award 2022 (in the Sunglasses – Eyewear Designer Category) – blends a futuristic aesthetic with high-quality materials and components – a reflection of the brand’s ultra technical focus and longstanding respect for the great masters of handmade eyewear. The frame has a minimalistic design, a super small silhouette, and can fit a variety of faces due to its generous 145mm width.

Urban ‘futuristic’ style: VAVA BL0034 in recyclable bio-acetate – pictured in matt black

The frame also features a 6x6mm squared aluminum flex hinge, a detail that lends stability to the design as well as a clean, contemporary structural elegance at the temple. The stark mat subtly raw black coloration of the frame submitted for the Silmo d’Or award alludes to an ongoing direction in eyewear where qualities of timelessness, refinement and purity prevail.

VAVA Eyewear is produced in Italy by family-owned factories in Treviso. The brand follows a “conscious design” philosophy using 100% recyclable materials (lenses and acetate), ecological aluminum and plastic free packaging. For more details about VAVA, visit www.vavaeyewear.com

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