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 is yet a very different expression of this mantra. As an optometrist, anatomy and biology classes were a prerequisite in my studies. I’ve always been intrigued by skeletal structures. In my earlier KATA Eyewear collection, I used exo-skeletons (shells, beetles) that were cast using the same techniques as jewelry makers. For this new collection, I used endo-skeletal structures that are made in the same old-school way.

Each frame is hand-cast and handcrafted in order to realize the subtly nuanced details. If you look closely, you can see the design of the joints and bones in the end pieces and temples. It’s about the touch, feel, and workmanship of the frames that’s important to me.

Which is my goal: to create something artful yet wearable.

#designmatters