Eyewear is currently enjoying a period of creativity and expression, with bold concepts and complex manufacturing processes.
This was not lost on the judges of the Frame of the Year category at this year’s judging day. The broad mix of entrants included production processes such as 3D printing and on the other side of the spectrum, frames handcrafted from wooden veneer. In the end, it was the RBBR001 from Italian manufacturer Hapter that wooed many of the 20-strong voting panel.
It is fair to say that the RBBR001 is a frame indicative of now. A surgical grade stainless steel one-piece inner core is enveloped within an outer layer of textured rubber. But this is not just any textured rubber.
Company founders Eric Balzan and Mirko Forti treated the discovery of a WWI military goggle while walking in the Dolomite mountains in 2009, as a sign that they needed a new direction. Both had worked design and product management in the eyewear sector for major Italian producers, but were frustrated at how these large companies wanted to homogenise production.
‘The retrieval was for us the excuse to start a deconstruction and psychological detoxifying process, that eventually brought us to resign and reconstruct our own unique, rebellious and fully independent eyewear project,’ says Balzan.
‘We came out so frustrated of our previous career and the eyewear movement around it, but also so excited and inspired about the incredible discovery, that we decided to beat a completely new path as far as design and product development and manufacturing. It was like erasing all our previous experience.’
Inspiration
Early frames featured military-style fabric bonded to the outer and inner parts of the frame – inspired by the look of their military goggle. RBBR001 is the result of the brand’s dedication to innovation. The
rubber surfaces have been created using hot pressed patterns lifted from mountain asphalt patterns taken from specially-made casts. ‘Mountain asphalt is old and ruined, because of the cold and snow it cracks and assumes unique patterns,’ says Balzan. If that was not unique enough, the casts are treated with corrosion accelerators and left outside in the elements, ensuring each frame has a unique interpretation of the pattern. It is an adaptation of a 500-year-old technique that blacksmiths used to make swords.
While Balzan says the company does not have any specific sources of inspiration, it is the environment surrounding them in Italy that often produces creativity and attitude. The experimentation and invention process is continuous, adds Balzan. Last year, the company invested 30% of its turnover in R&D, but this is crucial to the company because it wants to distance itself as much as possible from traditional production sources, on which 90% of the brands in the market rely.
It is here the company thinks it has something truly special to offer opticians. ‘We have created a new category of eyewear: the lightest and most comfortable and functional material, like surgical steel, combined with some of the most prestigious and surprising materials, treated in special ways to become unique and addictive,’ says Balzan.
‘Opticians can find the benefits of a functional and minimal product, together with the uniqueness and exclusiveness of an emotional and artisanal approach to materials. With no overlapping with their current assortments, since we are unique in what we do, it’s a fair investment that will give their stores a stronger proposition, in a path towards exclusivity and independence.’
Haptic feedback
At the start of 2017, Hapter was one of three brands to be handled by the distribution arm of eyewear company Kick & Kirk. Until then, you could count UK stockists on one hand. The motivation to enter the awards was to gauge a qualified market reaction to the specific concept of rubber coating. ‘The UK is known to have quite a conservative approach to eyewear, so it was good to see that the RBBR001 concept, original and unique by nature, could still find its place,’ says Balzan.
‘When we found out we had won, it was a complete surprise because the other participants were very qualified. We had won several awards, but this was the first in Europe with the RBBR001 new collection. A sweet surprise indeed.’
Shouting about the win does not fit in with the modest communication ethos of the company. Balzan says: ‘Also this activity requires energy and focus, which now is fully absorbed on scaling up our product concept and sculpting our company culture and brand attitude. So we only made sure our supporters knew about this new award, and we are happy like that.’
Frame of the Year 2017
Winner: J02M RB003, Hapter
Shortlisted:
Blogger, Sun by Booth & Bruce
Camil, Gotti
Nakamura NK-31, Brulimar
CM104, Campbell Marson Wooden Frame