Silmo provides a wonderful opportunity to search out distinctive and unique eyewear, but this type of collection and diversity usually has to be tempered with ranges with broader appeal and higher sell-through rates.
William Morris London’s Charles Stone New York range offers a mix of high-fashion and value. The collection is inspired by New York in the 1970s and 1980s and features bright, punchy colours and bold silhouettes. Silmo’s releases included the new Charles Stone TR90 models, which feature an improved soft-touch feel and intricate layering of material. The NY106 women’s ophthalmic frame has a simple, rectangular silhouette, which has been given an extra hint of femininity with upswept brows and subtle curves. New to the collection’s metal portfolio is the NY113, a large, aviator-style ophthalmic frame constructed from stainless steel in a three-colour combination, which will find favour with bold male patients.
[CaptionComponent="807"]British brand Booth & Bruce was returning to the exhibition after a change of ownership earlier this year. Co-owner and optometrist Peter Sunderland says it was the first Silmo as a seller rather than a buyer, but that it felt good making the transition.
Sunderland also believes his experience as an optometrist in practice is starting to have an influence on the collections. The company is moving away slightly from the heavy-set acetates it is known for and new styles have thinner profiles, making the larger sizes actually look at a lot smaller. A range of new finishes are also available, including matt and gloss combinations for the first time.
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An example of this new direction is the BB1405 Sable women’s ophthalmic frame from the six-strong Here and Now collection. Sporting a delicate cat’s eye silhouette, the style is available in six feminine hues. Sunderland says new models will be added to the collection every six months.
[CaptionComponent="809"]The brand is keen to remember its design-led roots, so has also introduced the Booth & Bruce Classic collection. The latest range looks back to old designs in the company’s archives and has updated them with new colours and finishes, but keeps in mind the styling traits that the company is known for – thick lugs, bold temples and large silhouettes. Updated style Classic 882 has a shallow, rectangular silhouette and thick temples. New colour scheme Old Leather features a translucent olive front with marbled olive temples.
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Launched at the event, Mondottica’s Spine range features an innovative new hinge design and a range of easy-to-wear and stylish silhouettes. The new hinge concept is inspired by interaction between vertebrae and features five connected pieces which create a 90-degree spring hinge opening. Each individual vertebrae in the hinge only rotates through 18 degrees, so the load is spread evenly, which Mondottica says reduces wear and makes friction non-existent. Connecting the vertebrae together is the Spine cable and spring assembly. The spun wire loops through each section and allows movement of the vertebrae and the auto-shut mechanism. The hinge also has vertical movement.
The design of the metal vertebrae sections and cable requires the each component part to be made with high engineering precision. Mondottica has utilised micro-injection moulding, used in the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors, for the construction, which is said be highly accurate as well as environmentally friendly.
The collection includes styles with metal and acetate fronts and features Spine-inspired detailing on the lugs, nose pads and on non-slip rubber end tips.
Made in France
Slightly more conventional in appearance are the new styles from Lesca Lunetier. The French company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2014 and, for its latest collection, has raided its design archives and given old styles a 2014 refresh.
The company, which manufactures its eyewear in the Jura region of France, has built itself something of a reputation for panto silhouettes and heavy-set acetates, so it is fitting that two of the standout models from this year’s releases major on that shape, but with two different approaches. The chunky Pica model features distinctive bevelling around the frame, while the Sosi style is a sleeker affair, with a period keyhole bridge to complete the package.
[CaptionComponent="810"]Fellow French brand Oko Eyewear used the event to showcase its expanding CAC and Biz collections, which the company says have been designed to fulfil the needs of opticians. Co-founder and Paris optician David Bedock’s experience of the sector means that special care is taken at the design stage to consider fit and comfort issues.
Optician first saw the CAC range at Optrafair London earlier this year and was impressed with just how thin the Italian-made acetate frame was – 2.4mm thick fronts and 2mm thick temples. Translucent hues show off the collection’s signature stainless steel inner core.
The company says demand for the range has been high this year, so a variety of new styles and colours have been added. An example is CAC 21, a design with a large, rectangular eye shape, with a new wood-effect colour scheme with green internals. The brand’s Biz collection also remains popular and production of this particular range has recently been moved back to France. New model Biz 7 has a modified cat’s eye silhouette with rich, dual-coloured acetate.
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