A major talking point at this year’s Vision Expo East was technological innovations with the potential to galvanise the industry. The dedicated Eye2 Zone showcased, among others, the upcoming Google Glass product and Carl Zeiss Cinemizer video glasses.
While attendees and exhibitors discussed the possible ramifications of wearable technology at every opportunity, the main aim of the show for many was still discovering new frame styles to differentiate and drive practice growth in the coming months.
New frame designs from l.a.Eyeworks are regularly a highlight of North American tradeshows and its spring collection, launched in New York, did not disappoint.
The brand, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary in September, is known for its use of striking colour along with imaginative design details. The 18 new optical designs, across both the main l.a.Eyeworks brand and the Fiction diffusion line, include structural details that relate to either architecture or industrial design. Materials for the collection are stainless steel and acetate.
‘This collection is really architectural and we are playing that out in various ways,’ comments Brent Zerger, director of communications for l.a.Eyeworks. ‘For us the exploration of colour is of key importance along with shape. We often use intense colours with shapes becoming substrates for the display of colour. One of the currents of talk that we have been hearing from Europe is that designers have grown more conservative, with darker colours like brown to the fore. We are not responding to that; we are using incredible colours from bright crystal laminates to pearly neutrals.’
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The stainless steel frame Garza is illustrative of the wider collection. Zerger likens its decorative front to a beautiful cornice on a building. Meanwhile the front of acetate model Cairo alternates gloss and brushed out finishes.
Other highlights include acetates Bar Fedora, which is named after a bar in Los Angeles, and Del Rio, which is another frame that plays with the idea of structure.
Asked to place this collection against the overall direction of l.a.Eyeworks, Zerger says he expects the autumn collection to be somewhat softer.
‘I know what is coming down the line and the shapes are going to get a bit less structured and relax a little more. There will be some bigger, rounder shapes in the mix.’
Compared to l.a.Eyeworks, fellow California-based brand Salt is a comparatively new player on the US eyewear scene. The company was founded in 2006 but draws upon the vast optical experience of several of its staff.
Salt’s new collection was unveiled at Vision Expo East and features several thinner acetate frames as the Zeitgeist moves away from the established retro shapes.
‘We’ve thinned down a lot of the chunky classic vintage frames,’ comments David Rose, vice-president of design and manufacturing at Salt. ‘It is a nice change of pace. I still love working on vintage but there are so many heavy, chunky frames in the market and it is interesting to whittle down the shapes. You start with a heavy 1950s feel and work up into the 1960s and 1970s; eventually it gets to the 80s where it is much thinner plastic.
‘For shapes even thinner than those, I started using titanium because you can only get the acetates so thin before you begin to lose the structural integrity of the frame. It has been nice to play around with these thin eye wire shapes; it has been refreshing for me as a designer.’
While the shapes have been refined for 2014, the core values of Salt in terms of craftsmanship, attention to detail and polarised lenses for sunglass models are still ubiquitous across the range.
‘The quality of detail is such that when you pick up the frame you can feel it,’ says Rose. ‘It is not just a talking point with us. All our frames are hand-made in Japan and I’ve worked with these factories for a long time. Some of them are third-generation manufacturers; they’ve perfected their craft and honed their skills and really pay attention to detail. I’ll choose certain manufacturers for specific designs and materials.’
The frames in the new collection are all named after characters in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused.
Rose highlights sunglass model Milla as one of the leading new frame designs. ‘It is a good example of our acetate; a women’s sunglass in an upswept cat’s eye shape. Some of the colours are exclusive to us. The melon brushed rose gold has a translucent feel and a three-dimensional metallic look as well. The brown lenses offset the colour of the frame so it is not all tonal in colour.’
Meanwhile, optical frame Jodi takes the half-crescent motif Salt has previously used as a combination frame and brings it into an all-acetate form.
‘With Jodi the difficulty was contouring into the plastic to ensure all the elements sit nice and flush,’ comments Rose. ‘Typically companies will do a flat back end because the contouring is a technical challenge. It is a nice frame to look at it in the light; you see colours that you don’t notice right away. We like that sense of discovery with our frames – one day the light might catch the frame and reveal a subtle tinge.’
On the men’s side, Rose picked out Newhouse, which is a P3 shaped optical frame. ‘Again you can see the craftsmanship and details that go into it,’ explains Rose. ‘Double rivet hinges for strength and stability and then slimming down the profile on the temple. You have a little wider profile on the side of the temple but then it slims downs like a firecracker to give another dimension to the frame. It also takes off a little of the weight and gives more flexibility.’
Titanium Strip
Also creating a stir was Danish eyewear company Lindberg, which introduced its new 9700 Strip range to the North American market in New York.
‘The 9700 line springs out of our established Strip plate titanium collection,’ comments Christina Sunn Pedersen, global communications manager. ‘With the 9700 there’s a strip of titanium all the way around but there is also an inner rim of acetate to soften up the look and add a new dimension.
‘It is popular particularly with women as it is not as severe a look as a titanium-only frame. With the acetate element as well as the metal, you can really make it the way you like it. The different acetates allow variation of patterns and colours with many combinations possible.’
Canadian children’s sunglass specialist Sons+Daughters was founded in 2012 and was showing its third ever collection at Vision Expo East. The fashionable and pop-culture savvy frame designs have proved popular with children and the brand is already sold in 28 countries worldwide.
‘We provide quality eyewear for children from the ages of about three to 10,’ comments Calvin Yu, creative director of Sons+Daughters Eyewear. ‘Most of our frames are hand-made acetate with spring hinges and excellent quality lenses. We now have nine sunglass sizes and three optical styles, although almost all the sunglass models can be used for prescription.’
Yu says the frames are priced to be accessible to as many children as possible. ‘We think there should be more fashionable frames for children rather than the “kiddie” styles or solely functional designs,’ he says. ‘People’s definition of what is affordable varies but I feel we offer affordable quality for children.’