Every first and third Thursday of the month, we will take a look at the latest collections in the eyewear industry. Enjoy the read!
Alternative Eyewear
New from Alternative Eyewear is the Grace frame (pictured right), bringing a bit of sparkle and shine to your eyewear wardrobe just in time for the holidays. Featuring delicate feminine temple details, unique floral etchings and jeweled accents for a fun yet sophisticated dash of shimmer, this titanium frame is available in Lilac, Blue or Pearl. And the Grace frame is also available in Queen models for women who need a little extra frame without compromising style or fit.
Area98
New from Area98 is Genesis Easy — an eyewear line designed for the 21st century teenager featuring frames combining originality and high quality. For young men, the GV1498 (pictured left) features a metal front and acetate temples with a texture reminiscent of carbon fiber, while the nylon GV1501 combines vintage-shaped style with modern materials and colors. The unisex acetate GV1503 is characterized by original striped colors or a blue jeans effect. And for young women, the acetate GV1504 features a slightly upturned squared shape in a palette of contrasting bright tones between the front and temples of blue, red, yellow or purple.
Eastern States Eyewear
Eastern States Eyewear recently announced the release of five new optical styles within its Exces Eyewear collection (pictured right). The new collection features two colorful acetate models and three metal styles. The acetates feature a mix of bright top to bottom fades — such as Grey-Electric Blue — and rich mottled colorations combining two and three colors, such as a Brown-Green-Lilac mix. And the metal styles are constructed of monel and feature subtle rhinestone adornments in an array of shapes ranging from geometric looks to soft, feminine rectangles matched with attractive plastic temples.
GUNNAR Optiks
New for the holiday season is the limited-edition Trooper Storm from GUNNAR Optiks® (pictured left). Imperially inspired by the foot soldiers of the empire, the Trooper is limited to 300 pieces and is tactically designed with sleek lines, ultra-slim temples, and a large lens viewing area suitable for crushing the rebellion. Equipped with patented i-AMP® lens technology for eliminating digital eye strain and blocking artificial blue light, the Trooper features flat temples for compatibility with over-the-ear communication devices and adjustable silicone nose pads.
ImageWear
ImageWear recently added new styles for men and women to its Stepper Eyewear collection. Plastic frames are made of resilient TX5 — a Stepper Eyewear exclusive material — and metal frame from ultra-light, 100 percent allergy free titanium and beta-titanium. For men, the SI 60113 is a classic men's style available in brown or gunmetal, while the sleek SI 50149 (pictured right) comes in brown or on-trend teal. And for women, the sophisticated SI 50148 frame is available in slate or rich burgundy, and the SI 50153 is a semi-rimless style with elaborate temple detailing in burgundy or purple.
KLiiK denmark
The Fall 2016 collection from KLiiK denmark is inspired by the rich colors of the autumnal season, while incorporating new design elements such as layering, metallic accents and original finishes. The seven new ladies’ styles incorporate out-of-the-box design elements, superb color and fun textures, such as the stainless-steel cat-eye shaped K-571 (pictured left) with a two-tone colored epoxy embedded with glitter for a festive look, and the retro K-564 featuring a mesmerizing eclectic color palette on a handmade acetate frame. And the three new mens’ styles feature strong masculine shapes and creative use of color and details, like the K-563 with an overall matte finish and laser-etched piping for a bold pop of color.
Luxottica
Prada recently celebrated its most iconic line of sunglasses with the special collection, Prada Minimal Baroque (pictured right), from Luxottica. These bold sunglasses give new life to the flower and foliage motifs that grew wild during the Baroque period, featuring stylized plant life such as acanthus leaves, laurel branches and palm fronds, abstracted into scrolling garlands that bud into the defining curve of elegant sunglasses. In each of the three Minimal Baroque styles, ornate and intricate motifs of the past are refined into a single streamlined gesture. Integrated within the frames of the sunglasses, the flourishes become both functional and fanciful.
New from Luxottica's Burberry Eyewear is the new Mr. Burberry collection for men. Inspired by a man of contrasts, the new collection of optical and sunwear styles is available in a range of materials, colors and styles including round and square frames in black, navy and dark olive made of nylon fiber or acetate. These refined, elegant men’s styles draw inspiration from the classic trench coat and Burberry’s heritage of quality, craftsmanship and timeless appeal, and also coincides with the launch of the Mr. Burberry fragrance.
And Luxottica's eyewear brand Ray-Ban recently reintroduced the Wayfarer Street Neat collection in a limited quantity. Originally launched in the 1980s as a reinterpretation of the iconic Ray-Ban Wayfarer, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Street Neat features a double-layer color combination with a two-tone front. Color options include red or white top on black with the historical Ray-Ban G-15 lenses, or a blue top on black with G-15 Polar lenses.
Marcolin
New from Marcolin is a collection of six Moncler Lunettes branded sunglasses that merge aesthetic functionality and technological research with the iconic design elements of the brand's timeless style. The acetate ML0001 and more feminine ML0002 models are inspired by classic 70s ski goggle shapes, while design is refined on the iconic round-shaped feminine ML0005 and square-shaped unisex ML0006. And the acetate men's ML0003 (pictured left) and unisex ML0004 frames spotlight retro style with removable leather side shields, available in contrasting black and red, brown and yellow, deep blue and light blue, and black tone on tone color combinations.
neubau eyewear
The young Austrian brand neubau eyewear pays tribute to the great historical figure Sigmund Freud with the new Sigmund frame (pictured right). Featuring a new interpretation of the classic round shape, the frame is made of a super-flexible and lightweight polymer and is equipped with adjustable temples to sit lightly on the face for a perfect fit. Available in six color variations, Sigmund impresses with a modern design that is strong in character.
Nouveau Eyewear
Nouveau Eyewear recently debuted new sizes and colors for the best-selling eyewear designs of 2016 for five of its collections. For the Hot Kiss collection, the iconic HK10 frame is now available in larger size 53 for Black and Brown, and HK45 is now available in size 54 for all three color options. The K175 style for the Kay Unger collection has debuted a new brown colorway and new size 55 option for all colors. The Phoebe collection has added style P268 in a new blue colorway (pictured left) and a larger size 54 for all colors. Realtree Eyewear's model R442 recently debuted a new satin black colorway, while style R445 can now accommodate size 60. And for Van Heusen Studio, style S326 is now available in size 60 and a new matte black finish, while S342 goes retro with a new tortoise option plus larger size 53 available in all three colorways.
Plan "B" Eyewear
Plan "B" Eyewear recently released four new models for its Nanovista children's collection. Fangame (pictured right) and Freeplay come in six unique colors in a 48 and 50 eye size, while Arkanoid and Breakout are round frames with a keyhole bridge in a 44 and 46 eye size. Each new model is completely made of Siliflex™ for maximum flex and durability, and comes with two straps — a temple tip strap and full head band strap — as well as a three-year unconditional warranty.
Retrosuperfuture
Retrosuperfuture has distilled the essence of summer for its two new releases for its Sex on the Beach line of sunglasses. Drew Mama and Novanta (pictured left) feature unique faded lenses that are a key ingredient of the playful, breezy aesthetics of the Sex on the Beach line. The color of the lenses was developed to reflect warm sunset tones, and each is matched with a simple white acetate in a shiny finish that balances the colorful lenses and gives the models a fresh, clean appeal.
Serengeti Eyewear
Serengeti Eyewear recently relaunched its Pilot Collection (pictured right), which are all RX-able and crafted from metal and other fine materials to ensure a great fit that does not diminish over time and frames that rest lightly yet securely on the wearer's head. Nine of the 10 Pilot Collection models are fitted with Drivers Gradient lenses, which have a unique shade of amber-grown engineered to naturally amplify contrast and definition in multiple light conditions. And being darker at the top and lighter at the bottom, the lenses shade more light from above while providing a clearer view of the instrument panel or dashboard below.
Urban Spectacles
New from Urban Spectacles are Reflectables (pictured left) — a collection of light-reflecting eyewear and sunglasses for added safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Designed by custom wooden eyeglass creator Scott Urban, Reflectables are made from the same specialized material that gives traffic signs their reflective quality and do not require any batteries or lightbulbs to work. The frames are made from bioplastic cellulose acetate, weigh only 42 grams, and feature adjustable temples.
ZIG Eyewear
ZIG Eyewear recently released the fall collections of ZIGGY® and Jean Reno Eyewear by designer Cendrine O (pictured right). Each collection features 10 frame designs, all available in a range of colors. The new ZIGGY fall collection is full of surprises, featuring design firsts and enhancements such as laser engraving, sparkling accents and contrasting colors. And the fall Jean Reno collection comprises versatile frames in new and unique color combinations including inlays and layered stainless steel, jewel-toned acetates, and a collection of "woods" — layered acetates that look and feel like wood.
Zimco Optics
The Fission Collection (pictured left) from Zimco Optics — a one-of-a-kind style experience for men and women — continues to stay true to its original philosophy by staying grounded in function and style. The collection features a variety of shapes and metal styles such as the rounded rectangle and traditional square, full-rimmed and semi-rimless, with an array of modern colors, materials, and both spring and regular temples, allowing it to appeal to a larger demographic than other existing collections in the eyewear industry today.
Zyloware Eyewear
For December, Zyloware Eyewear is launching one new frame style for Randy Jackson and three for Leon Max. Randy Jackson 1073 blends on-trend styling with masculine appeal in a full rim metal frame with a flat metal top bar and attractive rectangle shape. Leon Max 4038 (pictured right) is a bold, full rim zyl frame in a dramatic aviator shape available in Sapphire Fade, Magenta Fade and Teal Fade. Leon Max 4039 is a full rim zyl frame in a modified round shape that mixes iconic style with modern day appeal. And the cat-eye Leon Max 4040 is a full rim metal frame available in Black, Mocha and Emerald.