Vintage Varvatos

The men’s eyewear line from US designer John Varvatos combines wrapped shapes with classic touches. Rory Brogan is at home with the range

If you handle an acetate frame or sunglass by US designer John Varvatos, the care and attention lavished upon it are evident, from the 72 hours of tumbling, then hand polishing, to the signature metal temple tips.

John Varvatos is a brand new name in the optical market and perhaps more unusually, a totally masculine frame and sunglass collection. The eyewear is produced by Base Curve, an independent division of California-based REM eyewear, with the manufacturing carried out in Japan.

Cecile Gueriau, director of EMEA sales for Base Curve said, ‘The collection is really vintage and we’ve had a nice reaction to the product and the fact that it’s purely masculine.

’The acetate designs in block and laminated zyl are hand bevelled and sculpted on the temples and the front, with additional work on the inner temples for a more comfortable fit.

‘You can’t stop touching them - they’re very tactile. They have a lustre effect because of the polishing.’While Varvatos is an up-and-coming fashion name in the UK, he is very much to the fore in the US where he has won three Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awards in the past six years for his menswear.

He also has a fragrance and Skin range, a collaboration with Converse and counts rock stars among his followers. His menswear line is available through freestanding stores including a flagship outlet in New York’s Soho, along with Los Angeles and Las Vegas and can be found in Harvey Nichols in the UK.

Varvatos has design pedigree, starting out with Polo Ralph Lauren in 1983 and moving to Calvin Klein in 1990. He returned to Polo as vice-president in charge of men’s design for all Polo Ralph Lauren brands in 1995, before setting up the John Varvatos Company in 1999.

The vintage look of the new eyewear collection is perhaps most obvious in the use of filigree and coining, craftsmanship seen on eyewear from the 1930s and 1940s.

The filigree detailing on the end pieces, bridges and temples differs from model to model and stands out more on the lighter colours. Also, some of the acetates are very solid, giving them what Gueraiu describes as a ‘retro look’.

The metal end tips are embossed with four hallmarks - JV, a guitar, a crown and ‘Circa 00’ - the latter the year he presented the first John Varvatos Men’s collection.

These also appear on a metal logo plaque on the inner side of the acetates. Such detailing and touches are not surprising as the collection has been created by US eyewear designer Blake Kuwahara.

‘We were privileged to have Blake working with us,’ says Gueriau.Although some of the acetate sunglasses are vast and wrapped, the collection has a classic feel overall, nowhere more so than in the choice of colours, from browns and blacks to horn blue in the Italian zyl and metals in golds, silvers and gun.

While the colours reflect those of the clothing line, there is also an image piece in white acetate.There are 16 frames and 19 sunglasses, with eight of the sunglasses glazeable. Gueriau describes the line as ‘classical with a slight edge’, reflected in the base-6 to base-8 facial wraps.

‘Really, they’re timeless pieces that are still very wearable.’ Another feature from Varvatos’ clothing line that is reflected in the eyewear is the use of leather, from a leather insert on a bridge to leather sides and a distressed brown leather sunglass case.

‘He loves bags and belts, so leather is an important part of his collection. The leather has been used in other optical products, so it has good resistance.’There are a number of aviator-inspired pieces, she describes as ‘retro pilot shapes’, some in rimless designs.

These, like many of the acetates have double bridges, one in metal with an acetate insert on the top bar. The components include European hinges and stop hinges, for long and reliable use.

Gueriau points out that breakable parts have been limited, and the temple tips are flush-fitting.John Varvatos Eyewear is aimed at the market sector of 30-55-year-olds, partly as a result of an exclusive price point, which also means a limited distribution to high-quality independents.

‘They’re for the professional who’s keeping an eye on what’s happening in fashion,’ says Gueriau, who adds that while they are masculine ‘some can fit and look good on women’. Contact: cgueriau@hotmail.co.uk or call: +44 7900 680 531.