Ultra minimal
The re-emergence of metal frames and a gradual shift from
acetate in recent years has given way to a minimal aesthetic, but now
there are a group of designers who have pushed the ‘barely there’ envelope into new territories.
German manufacturer Markus T has always majored on the minimal aesthetic, so when the company’s space in the market became a little more crowded, a new concept was needed.
Rimless frames have been on the company’s ideas book for a long time and have always been a style that the Markus T customers have asked for. ‘The right concept has taken a long time to make itself known to us. A rimless collection needed to have the DNA of the brand and we trialled several different ideas but never fully realised them,’ says company general manager Bernadett Thomas.
With the new Ease collection, the brand has chosen an almost modular approach to rimless, with different add-ons that can be specified by the patient. These optional extras come in the form of
TMi (the brand’s proprietary synthetic plastic) rings and titanium brow line fixtures. The rims, which are available in two widths and five colours, sit in a groove around the outer edge of the lens
and provide a subtle injection of colour. The titanium attachments allow the optician to completely transform the look of the frame, with options that include a double bridge aviator style brow bar and half rim semi-circle outlines.
All of the titanium options lock into the frame’s specially developed mounting system. After assessing the aesthetics and strength of the different mounting styles, the company opted for its own infinity sign shaped drilling mount that has brought together the strength of two drill points, with greatly reduced surface area needed for the lug.
Anyone that has worked extensively with rimless will now probably be asking ‘how is an eight-shape hole drilled?’ It’s a good question, because drilling the second part of the hole next to the first would most-likely result in a wandering drill.
To combat this, the company has developed its own drill guide.
Streetwear
The influence of streetwear in fashion and beyond is easy to see – just look at the rise of Off-White designer Virgil Abloh and his recruitment by Louis Vuitton and Ikea. This aesthetic – think oversized, utilitarian and luxury materials – hasn’t infiltrated the eyewear sector successfully but new British brand Covrt Project is about to change that.
Headed up by designer Marcello Martino, whose eyewear design CV includes Kite Eyewear and several under the radar projects for high profile clients, Covrt Project brings the ethos of streetwear design with high end design and manufacturing.
Mission One is a collection of seven sunglasses – four in CNC milled anodized steel and three in premium Mazzucchelli acetate.
Throughout the collection, there are examples of expressive design. The square shaped AS2 acetate sunglass is constructed from thick plates of acetate that has been milled away to allow the Base 2 Zeiss lenses to have the effect of pantoscopic tilt within the frame’s construction. Elsewhere, liberal use of milling around the front and rear of the nose bridge allows volume without the associated weight, and temples vary in depth before exposing core wire and extended pad-style end tips.
The level of detail within the frame is matched in the accessories. As standard, frames come with a premium matte black presentation box and monochrome cleaning cloth. As an optional extra, the brand has created a cross-body utility bag that includes a suede microfibre lined sunglass pocket and a detachable front pocket for when
a more discrete look is desired.
Fresh prints
There aren’t many reasons to feel sorry for William Morris London founder Robert Morris but being asked the same thing for nearly 20 years must surely have tested his resolve. ‘Are you anything to do with William Morris the artist and poet?’ is the question Morris has had to face the most, but until now, the answer has always been ‘no’.
A collaboration with the William Morris Gallery sees a selection of the artist’s prints interpreted into a 12-strong collection of ophthalmic frames. Frames in the Gallery collection, which comprises women’s and unisex styles, feature William Morris prints that adorn temple internals and contemporary silhouettes to create a modern looking range with hints of vintage. All frames are sold with coordinating folding cases and lens cloths.
Morris says the collaboration with the William Morris Gallery worked extremely well and the gallery even trusted the designer to recolour the prints when necessary. A collection with more acetate styles is in the pipeline.
A percentage of the sale of every frame in the collection will be donated to the William Morris Gallery to help it continue its important work of art preservation and education.
Accesor-eyes
German luxury handbag and accessory brand Any Di has released an owl inspired version of its design-patented SunCover sunglasses carry case. The new design takes advantage of the large, circular areas of the SunCover that protect lenses and turns them into the eyes of an owl. Differently coloured rings of supple leather create the owl look, while a lockable, 24 carat gold-plated push button stands in as a beak.
SunCover is a luxurious accessory for any sunglasses wearer which protects against scratches, dust and pressure point damage with a microfibre lining.
The design allows for the storage of any size and shape of glasses,
and the included leather strap allows the case to be worn as a stylish
accessory hung either from a belt or a bag.
Kids with colour
Children’s eyewear design is in a bit of a rut. The widespread adoption of adult styling with children’s sizing that was popular five or six years ago hasn’t really pushed on and there’s only so long that a reprofiled Wayfarer is going to cut it.
The colour options and inventive styling associated with adult collections haven’t filtered down into the children’s collections and kids are missing out. Colour and design are at the very forefront of Sabine Be’s design ethos – for the adult and children’s collections.
Having spent her career in optics through a family practice and a father who owned an ophthalmic lab, Be says it has been a lifelong dream to create her own line. Sadly, the death of her partner in 2009 left Be at something of a crossroads but eventually provided inspiration to begin working on her eponymous collection and the styling of brand itself. Frames across the Sabine Be collections are some of the boldest out there – this isn’t a brand for the faint hearted. That said, it has the feel of a brand that has the ability to convert patients into long term wearers, which is still a relatively rare occurrence.
Frame structures are full of juxtapositions of volume, shape and
colour. Importantly, the design principles of the adult collection
aren’t watered down for the Mini Be range, which comprises 16 styles across sun and ophthalmic styles.
