The Good Life

OGI EYEWEAR LAUNCHES BON VIVANT

Ogi Eyewear takes a blend of French couture style, iconic artwork, and architectural masterworks to inspire its new collection, Bon Vivant Eyewear—inspired by a French expression that means “one who lives well.”

Designed for creative souls, Bon Vivant is for free spirits and fashion enthusiasts alike, providing wearable frames with creative flair.

Each design is hand drawn and sourced with the best materials around the globe, handmade and polished with for a frame of luxury, quality, and craftsmanship, company representatives note. Each piece in the Bon Vivant collection is Mazzucchelli acetate and stainless steel for trendsetting women ages 25 to 40. Bon Vivant frames come in a premium snap-closure case lined with velour, accompanied by a microfiber cleaning cloth.

INFO: OGIEYEWEAR.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“Ogi Eyewear is very excited to launch Bon Vivant. This new line has been a great collaborative effort with a European design firm. All Bon Vivant frames are manufactured in Italy. This couture collection complements all of our brands.”

— JOSEPH TALLIER, OGI CEO

Turn on the Color

SPY ROLLS OUT KEN BLOCK LIVERY SERIES

Spy’s 2015 Ken Block Livery Series is a collection of frames inspired by the bold patterns and highly recognizable cosmic color palette of rally driver Block’s 2015 livery. The collection arrives with the Happy Lens in several of Spy’s most popular styles—the Discord, Cyrus, Bowie, Logan, Dirk, Flynn—in addition to Ken Block’s signature Helm. Designed to complement Block’s 2015 intergalactic livery, each style has purple and blue hues offset against Spectra lenses. The Bowie, Cyrus, and Discord are built from high-quality propionate, while the Dirk, Flynn, Helm, and Logan are built from Grilamid. The Helm style features a bonus set of temples in an alternative colorway, allowing for custom looks.

INFO: SPYOPTIC.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“As always, Spy killed it when it came to incorporating my livery for this season onto these frames. This year we’ve worked together to incorporate it not only on the Helm, but also six other styles, which is awesome. Choice is everything, and I’m excited about being able to switch up my looks on a day-to-day basis while still matching my car and driving suit when I’m at the track.”

— KEN BLOCK, RALLY DRIVER

Gargoyles Revisited

FGX PRESENTS GARGOYLE EYEWEAR

FGX has redesigned and relaunched the Gargoyles eyewear collection with a fresh focus on connections from ophthalmic eyewear to the iconic sunglass brand’s DNA. Offering 16 styles, the frames are split into several design categories. Titanium and carbon fiber styles in European shapes and minimal titanium flex have flat metal construction with pressed carbon fiber temples with hidden spring hinges and co-molded tips. Contemporary metal styles have contemporary shapes with industrial textural treatments. Industrial styles have a screwless hinge design and exclusive talon tip shape. And the Classic metal Rx styles incorporate key elements of Gargoyles Sun DNA, including spring hinges and co-molded tips. The eyewear has a two-year warranty against manufacturer’s defects and a lifetime of trade-ups at 50% off. All purchases include premium packaging, durable zip case with carabineer, and cleaning cloth.

INFO: FGXI.COM

TO THE MARKET:

“The launch of the Gargoyles optical collection is an exciting time for the brand. The collection is inspired by the brand’s long history of performance and durability. The extension of design elements from the sun collection to the optical line creates a fully integrated collection that we’re thrilled to introduce this spring.”

— GINA LAZARO, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING, FGX INTERNATIONAL

High-Voltage Glamour

MICHAEL KORS DEBUTS AT LUXOTTICA

Michael Kors Spring 2015 by Luxottica includes sun and ophthalmic styles, each designed with the designer’s signature jet-set sensibility. The focus of the launch is the Miranda Eyewear Collection, inspired by Michael Kors’ Miranda handbag. Cues from the Miranda handbag show up in the signature tie and slide hardware at the temples and the rich materials. The temple detail is interpreted in three different materials—metals, stones, and leathers—to evoke the three attitudes of the Michael Kors woman: sporty, sexy, and glamorous. In addition to the Miranda Collection, other groupings include Chain Link with chain link detailing; Rose Gold with rose gold temples, frame fronts, and flash mirrors; Logo charm with a signature logo charm at the temple; and the Exotic Print group with sports reptile patterns.

INFO: LUXOTTICA.COM

TO THE MARKET:

Miranda is a name Michael Kors says he chose because “it’s something both old-school glamorous and barefoot modern at once.” The styles blend vintage allure with contemporary fashion, lending understated but unmistakable chic to any look, company representatives add.

Minimal and More

MARCHON UNVEILS FLEXON SUN COLLECTION

The new Flexon Sun Collection from Marchon is a memory metal sunwear line developed in collaboration with ZEISS to provide comfort and durability with advanced optical clarity with “normcore” styling to appeal to a wide audience. The lenses are polarized with super-hydrophobic and oleophobic technology that protects against scratches and repels dust, water, and grease. They are also smudge resistant, with UV protection.

Each of the six frames feature Flexon bridge and temples, combining lightweight comfort with strength and flexibility. To create a cohesive look, the collection features a raised, linear two-toned endpiece.

The collection offers three sun lens tints: green G-15 for unaltered color perception, brown for contrast improvement, and gray for eye relaxation. Each style is also available in an Rx version.

INFO: MARCHON.COM

TO THE MARKET:

The new Flexon Sun Collection captures the best properties of Flexon’s memory metal. The collection is ideal for men who are tech savvy, durability-driven, and looking for a product with added value.

— MARK GINSBERG, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GLOBAL MARKETING, MARCHON EYEWEAR

The Shape of Things to Come

SAFILO RENEWS, REFRESHES, RELAUNCHES CARRERA

Safilo is relaunching Carrera with a focus on its iconic shape, Champion sunglasses. Dating back to 1979, the sunglasses have undergone an extensive “remastering” process and are now presented with new, well-balanced proportions and a revisited, snug fit. The front is slightly smaller, its profiles sleeker, and its design lighter, thanks to the newly reshaped double bridge and well-balanced proportions, company representatives note. The end result is a millennial-friendly look.

Using the original Champion model as a starting point, a new family of sunglasses, including the New Panamerika, the Carrera 100, and two other models, round out the collection.

INFO: SAFILO.COM

TO THE MARKET

“How many brands in the world can say ‘we own a shape’ without fear of contradiction? Owning an iconic, original shape is a privilege reserved for only a few, of which, Carrera has earned this distinction. The product is at the heart of our Carrera global rebranding campaign in 2015 and the Champion sunglasses, along with the family of glasses inspired by it, has undergone an extensive remastering process.”

— NICOLA BONAVENTURA, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF PROPRIETARY BRANDS, SAFILO GROUP