If you pay attention to the trade show circuit (and nobody would blame you if you didn’t), then you’ll know that Vision Expo East has relocated from Manhattan’s Javits Centre to the warmer climate of Orlando and the Orange County Convention Centre.
But this hasn’t been your average trade show relocation. Yes, it’s still on the east coast of the US, but at more than 1,000 miles away, it looks and feels like a different event.
Vision Expo’s move to Florida presented the organisers of Loft NYC, a spin off event for independent eyewear brands held close to the Javits, with an opportunity to build on the show’s growth and mark the event’s 25th anniversary in style.
Loft NYC founder and Bevel Eyewear CEO, Richard Mewha, looked to establish wider engagement among the industry by working with the likes of Kering Eyewear, EssilorLuxottica and Thelios to create a festival of eyewear.
‘I am amazed at the overwhelming support from our vendors and optical retailers this year,’ says Mewha. ‘We knew that we would have to grow the event to provide a comprehensive reason for clients to keep coming here. We added a range of independent, curated frame brands as well as a premium lens company and a lab. We have also encouraged other showrooms in a coordinated effort to boost attendance and embellish the customer experience.’
Loft Industrial, Chelsea
Hot off the press
Press Eyewear continued its momentum after launching at Loft NYC in 2024. Optician has already waxed lyrical about the Press collections, with its rare mix of invention and optician-friendly designs, thanks to Jeff Press’ two decades as a registered optician. A buffalo horn collection was mentioned at Silmo last September, and the results were well worth the wait. Press took residence at the Hoffman Eyewear factory in Nist, Germany, for two weeks earlier this year to develop the unique horn laminations.
Having built up a close working relationship with Hoffman over more than 20 years, Press has developed an understanding of how the material can be worked during manufacturing and puts that understanding at the front of the design process. Simply put, the results are incredible, with the sort of colour and sculpting that has rarely been seen on horn eyewear production.
Ti-conic
A marriage of Oliver Goldsmith heritage and modern Japanese titanium expertise, the Ti-Icons collection marks a first for the brand that
is synonymous with bold acetate silhouettes. Archive silhouettes from ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s have been reworked in high-grade titanium by Japanese craftsmen in a selection of subtle colours that complement the tinted ‘Winter Sun’ lenses.
‘This is an exciting new string to add to our bow,’ says Claire Goldsmith, creative director of Oliver Goldsmith. ‘OG Ti-ICONS is not only a tribute to our past, but a celebration of craftsmanship and innovation — a natural progression that feels entirely true to our DNA.’
Ti-Conic Part 2
The eyewear geek part of me has long obsessed over the titanium 3D-printed Couture collection from Belgian designer Hoet. Now more than a decade old, the size of the architectural collection has not only become larger, but it has also become more accessible in terms of price.
New models featuring 3D-printed polyamide temples paired with the titanium fronts have reduced wholesale cost by approximately 50%, opening this best of the best range to a new patient demographic.
Artistic license
Gamine New York founder Sergei Zubkouski’s art background has given him a unique perspective of eyewear. Zubkouski was originally
dared to design a sunglass by a friend, but the nuances of eyewear design soon took hold, and he quickly set about designing frames that reflected his love of architecture, setting up Gamine New York in 2016.
By his own admission, it has been hard to please everyone when it comes to designing silhouettes, but he has since found a balance between wearability and his artistic, architectural aesthetic across stainless steel, titanium, acetate and combinations. (4)
Barton Perreira, Meatpacking
At Barton Perreira’s flagship store in the Meatpacking District, the brand held exclusive press briefings to show 2025 collections, but it was also the venue for the launch of a collaboration with eyewear designer and ‘bedazzler’ to the stars, Kerin Rose Gold.
Barton Perreira co-founder Patty Perreira and Rose Gold, whose costumes and accessories have graced the likes
of Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Lady Gaga, have been friends for more than a decade. They have come together to create a limited-edition capsule collection that has seen Rose Gold embellish four of Barton Perreira’s best-selling models.
In conjunction with Women’s Month, a percentage of the proceeds from the collection will be donated to the Lower East Side Girls Club, a nonprofit organisation empowering young women to lead and challenge expectations.
Loft Factory
Chroma hearts
Etnia Barcelona’s premium collection, Chroma, presented its second collection at Loft NYC’s second location, Chelsea Factory. The company says Chroma is a testament to colour, and how it can transform and elevate perception of whats around us.
But while the collection majors on colour, it also plays with structure, through material combinations, finishes and contrast in volume, with squared off, chunky acetate sitting alongside svelte metal fronts and temples. The collection comprises ophthalmic and sunglass styles – which feature Barberini lenses. (10)
Thin blue line
Women’s style 9103 (below) from Modo Eyewear’s Legacy Collection pays homage to the company’s innovation and design heritage. The titanium shape is waif in the extreme, with a delicate hexagonal shape.
Also from the House of Modo, Italia Independent’s Cuore frame (above) offers a feminine twist on the timeless Wayfarer shape and comes in four colours – translucent pink and blue, Havana red and solid black.
Eyecon Show
Content is king
The brainchild of former partnerships director at Vision Expo and Reed Exhibitions, Tarrence Lackran, Eyecon Show was a brand-new event designed to showcase some of the finest luxury eyewear brands on the market in a setting that matched their status.
Jaquemus out of the box
Produced by British brand, Linda Farrow, the Jacquemus eyewear collection is one of the newest eyewear licenses in the sector. Linda Farrow’s take on the dynamic brand’s sunglasses has already gone down well, and the Eyecon event saw Jacquemus ophthalmic styles presented by North American distributor, 8 Agency. JAC 139 is a slimline take on the pilot silhouette, but the lemon hue means it punches well above its weight.
Sports-luxe
Whether it’s running (Satisfy, Norda) or cycling (Rapha), or many other sports you care to
mention, there’s now a new category of luxury spin out brands catering for consumers that want the ultimate in performance and style.
Kuro Athletics is the latest to apply the highest of production values to sports eyewear. Founded by Black Optical group CEO Gary Black, Kuro Athletics has been built from the ground up with performance in mind.
Named after different species of falcon, known for their precise vision and speed, the collection is produced in Japan with high-performance lenses, which can be specified as a single-piece prescription lens across 6, 7 and 9-base curves.
