The Sweet lowdown

Andy Sweet was one of the most recognisable frame designers at this year's Mido. Not, however, for his frames Ð although that could change in years to come Ð but for his legs. Sweet, along with Continental Eyewear sales manager Richard Day, is one of only two people known to optician who attend eyewear exhibitions such as Mido and Silmo wearing their kilts. At 26, Sweet is still early on in his career as an eyewear designer, but his portfolio is impressive. Having always been interested in drawing, throughout school Sweet only had one career in mind: a car designer. 'I never questioned it,' he says. He enrolled on the only degree course in the country offering what he wanted, but it soon became apparent this course was not for him. He left and found instead a jewellery and metalwork course at Duncan of Jordanstone College, part of Dundee University. There he embarked on various projects including using thin copper wire for knitting. From this he would make masks Ð perhaps an early pointer towards design around facial features. Optics came to him rather than vice versa however, when Dollond & Aitchison launched a nationwide competition to design a pair of spectacles, as part of its 250th anniversary celebrations. Sweet entered and came first, his winning design being remarkably reminiscent of many successful styles that have been available since. The 'Fusion 250' went on to be manufactured and sold in D&A practices across the UK. Sweet also travelled to Longarone, Italy, to De Rigo for one week, witnessing at first hand how eyewear is designed, produced and marketed. Winning the competition inspired him to continue to design eyewear and he went on to make titanium frames for his final year project. Upon graduation, Sweet soon found that the UK frame industry was a small world, particularly for designers, and he was soon advised to attend Silmo. Since his first visit to the Paris show in 2000, Sweet has slowly built an impressive contact book that has seen him working for frame makers on both sides of the globe. He has certainly received his share of knock-backs; following that first Silmo he was offered a job in Hong Kong. 'I got as far as organising my visa to go and live there when it all fell through,' he explains. Another weekend introducing himself to the exhibiting companies, this time at Mido, and Sweet landed himself some freelance work with Hong Kong-based Keyview Optical, which happens to be where another British designer, Tom Davies, gained some early experience. He started doing a few designs for Keyview each month Ð concept sketches rather than technical drawings, and relatively limited in the brief. But little by little, over the past three years, Sweet's Dundee design headquarters have become a creative hotbed of ideas for frame companies across the globe. Around a year after his Keyview work began, Sweet started working for Jaan Lih Optical in Taiwan, designing injection moulded sports sunglasses. Silmo 2002 led to two European companies Ð Germany's Neostyle and Flo of Norway Ð and Createch of Hong Kong to start using his services. These jobs continue on a freelance basis and last year he began work for his first UK company, Preston-based Aearo, which makes safety eyewear. 'Safety glasses aren't that exciting,' says Sweet, 'but it was an interesting job. Apart from ensuring the designs met with the necessary safety standards, it was a free brief.' Sweet injected some style into his designs, creating a portfolio of safety glass designs some of which were more akin to sunglasses than the old-fashioned safety specs you might imagine. The past year has seen another two freelance projects for companies in Australia and Canada. He is currently in the throes of trying to establish a distribution channel for the beginning of his own small collection, the first model of which is the bug-i 1. Hand-made in Scandinavia from titanium, with a spring hinge, this insect-inspired sunglass comes in three lens colour options: blackbug, goldbug and rosebug. This work has been enjoyable because he hasn't been restricted by a brief. 'From a designer's point of view, I don't like minimalist glasses. I much prefer people to be wearing eyewear that makes a statement. 'I find it amazing that there are so many people in cities like London or Glasgow who are really interested in fashion and wear loads of trendy clothes, but their spectacles let them down.' Too many, he believes, will opt for a designer frame which doesn't complement the clothes they're wearing because it's too middle of the road. 'There is some terrible licensed stuff out there,' he says. 'No one believes that the people whose name is printed on the side have had anything to do with it. The Dior brand has pushed the boundaries, but that's the only one I can think of.' Sweet has now travelled to Paris and Milan for four years but has yet to attend Optrafair. If you see someone in their kilt at next April's show, don't assume it's Sweet however. 'It'll come as a surprise to some but it's actually easier to get to Paris or Milan from Dundee than it is to get to Birmingham.'