ABOUT

THE

BRAND

We live in a very visual world, and we are knowingly or unknowingly influenced by our surroundings and peers. We’re all amateur photographers and recorders of life thanks to cameras on our phones. And, we’re all art directors and editors thanks to Instagram.

For me, designing an eyewear collection is pretty much the same. My life and influences can often be captured in a snapshot. Art, architecture, fashion, interior design, travel, and culture are all put through my visual filter. The output is a distillation and highly curated collection of eyewear that reflects a soulful, tactile, and artisanal sensibility.

My personal philosophy is that eyewear should enhance your personality and not be a substitute for one. It should also feel as good in the hand as it does on your face. By using laborious production techniques and a lot of handwork, an inner silhouette is encased in an unexpectedly fresh outer shape. This seamless fusion of two frames and the juxtaposition of contrasting form and color create a design tension that is thoroughly modern yet comfortably familiar.

Our brand ethos is to bring to market eyewear that is “artful yet wearable”. Using the construction of laminating a “frame within a frame” is just one means to this end.

The Grey Label was developed as a laboratory to explore different design concepts released as capsule collections.  The first series from the Grey Label Collection was inspired by skeletal articulation. Using the same casting techniques as jewelry makers, the three-dimensional details of bones come to life.

The Japanese design philosophy of “wabi-sabi” plays an important role in my life and in designing. It celebrates the imperfections which add character and soulfulness to objects. To create those tactile details, hand-brushing accentuates the texture and tonality while lasers are used to create deliberately irregular surfaces.

The most challenging is to design something that is minimal yet compelling.  By manipulating metal and seamlessly fusing them with acetate, sinuous forms are created that are both dynamic and pure.

In the end, the touch, feel, and workmanship of our frames are just as important to me as the aesthetics.

#DesignMatters