New product blog

Try by Allison

Inspired by the 1980s, optical model TY100 is the latest frame from Italian manufacturer Allison’s Try range. Suitable for both men and women, TY100 is aimed at the teenage to adult market and is available in fluorescent colours and a variety of animal patterns. Made from injected plastic, the lightweight rimless frame comes in a variety of shades that change from soft to transparent colours. Details: 020 8741 5201.

Mykita

MYKITA was founded 2003 by Harald Gottschling, Daniel Haffmans, Philipp Haffmans and Moritz Krueger. What to some may sound like an Asian-style name was in fact inspired by the firm’s first premises – a former day-care centre for children (in East Germany abbreviated to „Kita“). Just a year later, the world was introduced to MYKITA *Collection No.1* – an evolutionary step up in terms of both design and exclusivity. The all-new range of metal frames was unveiled at the Silmo international eyewear fair in the fall of 2004. A highly innovative functional design comprising simple plug connections made complex soldered joints and screw connections redundant, while the frames themselves were cut out of stainless sheet steel before being folded into form. As well as being incredibly light, the latter could be adjusted to the wearer thanks to a wide variety of configuration options. The corrective spectacles andunglasses in the collection ranged from the classically elegant to avantgarde designs in a wide range of frame colours. A frame for every face. Exactly two years later, a new collection was unveiled at the 2006 Silmo. In a marked departure from previous frames, MYKITA *Collection No.2* were made from full-bodied acetate – a material that enjoys a huge tradition in the eyewear industry. What set the new spectacles apart was the hinge – a connecting element that hugs the front and temples in the style of a sheath. The designs are crisp, clear and distinctive and are each related to frames from the metal collection. A carefully selected range of nine distinct colours gives *Collection No.2* a varied but nonetheless homogenous collective look. All frames are hand-made at MYKITA’s own production site in Berlin and are available at over 1,400 high-end opticians and selected department stores across the globe. These glasses are made with top-quality stainless steel, just 0.5 mm thick, ensuring an ultra-light feel. The actual production of MYKITA eyewear sees every part of the frame cut out of sheet metal and folded into a lightweight but full-bodied format. Linking these is a remarkably elegant and intelligent screw-less hinge design that ensures total flexibility and allows complete, custom-fit adaptability of inclination and frame according to the wearers’ facial proportions. The technical wizardry is coupled with aesthetic clarity and optimum vision to provide a recognisable trademark for MYKITA. To apply most of the colours featured in the collection, MYKITA chose a PVD finish – a state-of-the-art vacuum-heat coating technique that guarantees a non-oxidizing and highly wear-resistant surface. The prescription frames in *Collection No.1* are available in a choice of ten colours, the sunglasses in eight colours. MYKITA collection No. 1 – over 50 styles available in a choice of 10 colours. The MYKITA design team had for some time been planning to make a collection incorporating a fuller-bodied material, and eventually decided on cellulose acetate. Basically composed of cotton, wood pulp, acetate and pigments, it is a natural material that has a long tradition in the eyewear industry. *Collection No.2* indeed shares a variety of features with the original concept. It features a “snap-hinge” made of 0.8 mm flat sheet metal familiar from the construction principles applied in the first collection. A major new innovation was the use of photomechanical etching technology. The connection point between the hinge and the acetate frame likewise represented a unique challenge for the designers. The fourteen prescription styles and six sunglasses are available in a range of opaque colours, with no lamination. Mykita is exclusively handled in The United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa by Jonathan van Blerk. Jonathan van Blerk is available on j.vanblerk@mykita.com or on +44(0) 777 471 0050 or visit www.mykita.com

Zen and the art of rimless

enlight, a new rimless range from Silhouette, was inspired by people, nature and the emotions, and loosely based on Zen teachings, according to the manufacturer. Designed to offer a high degree of comfort and ‘unrestricted viewing’, the temples of the frames in the Zenlight range are constructed from flexible SPX plastic, while the bridges are made from titanium. The temples open and close without the use of screws, while the two-tone colouring involves the first colours of gold or chrome being applied and then layered using a special printing method. The process is then partially finished by hand resulting in a two-tone effect. The range is available in 12 different coloured models whose names all correspond to different emotions or states of being. Details: 020 8987 8899.

Rimless is ‘redefined’

Stepper UK has introduced a range of rimless models which it claimed ‘redefine the concept of rimless frames’. According to the manufacturer, ‘the preconception that rimless means minimalist has been thrown out of the window’ and its new collection is stylised by sophisticated colourways and imaginative combinations of materials. Stepper UK’s managing director, Richard Crook, said: ‘Take a look at the Stepper 4079, the combination of materials from plastic to titanium come together in an almost organic way.’ He also highlighted the frames’ twin tube glazing system which he said ensured the best possible glazing into Steppers’ rimless mounts. ‘You can feel the rigidity of our rimless frames even with the display lenses,’ he said. Details: 01732 375975.

Rimless with a leather touch

Silhouette’s new luxury rimless optical lines Leathertouch (left) and Leatherdrop (right) are intended for men and women respectively. Both collections have leather detailing on the temples and comprise four models. The rimless eyewear Leathertouch models come in five colourways: Silver Day in grey leather and dark brown temples, Tiger Eye in shining gold and mustard brown leather, Golden Forest in green and gold, Havana Lounge in dark brown leather and platinum and Black adventure in black shining metal and black leather. The rimless Leatherdrop range comes in Snow Shine, cream coloured leather and rhodium metal, Vamilla Cream, cognac coloured leather and gold-brushed metal, Golden Fire, cherry red leather and black, Mystic Night, tone to tone violet and Desert Rose, rose leather on grey. Details: 020 8987 8899.