Rat style comes to eyewear

When details of Tom Rebl’s Protos line landed in my inbox, something seemed familiar - an odd feeling given that the press release claimed that the oxidised acetate used in the collection was a first for the eyewear industry.

A (deliberately) rusty exterior may be something new for eyewear, but not in cult motoring circles. Rat style or patina has been around for decades and began as a counter culture statement against big-budget modified hot rods, which were never really driven and effectively became large-scale models.

Rusty or run down exteriors were mixed with solid mechanicals, and over the years, the style spread from hot rods and old pickup trucks, to air-cooled Volkswagens and even modern day cars.