This Winter’s 10 Unmissable Collabs!
As the year draws to a close, eyewear brands are continuing to surprise us with new collaborations. Get ready for creativity and expertise, exceptional frames and affordable luxury, from the ultra-sharp to the extra-arty. Here’s a closer look at this winter’s most desirable dual-identity combos.
BOLLÉ X 3
The champion of performance eyewear is exploring other avenues with no fewer than three collaborations revisiting its iconic models. The first one made its debut on the runway of the Patou fashion show, which unveiled the “Micro Edge” model in brand-new color combinations and boasting a sporty-glam spirit – one of this season’s leading trends.
To keep up with other cyclists in style, Bollé has also entrusted an entire collection to street artist Grems and his luminous, energy-packed pencil strokes.
And the most recent collab has dropped just in time for the opening of the mountain resorts. Available in two colors, the “Nevada” ski goggles are adorned with the famous cross-stitch aesthetic by Peter & May.
Bollé x Patou, Micro Edge model, €295
Bollé x Grems, Shifter model, €190
Bollé x Peter & May, Nevada model, €250
KHAITE X OLIVER PEOPLES
To promote their collaboration, KHAITE and Oliver Peoples are taking a bite out of the Big Apple. The reportage-style campaign, shot in Manhattan, accentuates the glamorous, vintage spirit of the three exclusive frames. Cat-eye, oval, and oversized, the models feature a combination of discreet and instantly identifiable details. Discerning observers will recognize the logos at the tips of the temples and the metal inlays inspired by the sleek metal parts of KHAITE handbags.
KHAITE x Oliver Peoples, 1998C, 1968C, and 1977C models, €375
KOMONO X ROYAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS
At the crossroads of art and eyewear, this partnership has turned heads everywhere. Many of you will remember that we spotted it among the new products previewed at SILMO 2023. Now, for the fifth year running, the collab is continuing with three students pushing the limits of creativity even further. A regular collaborator, Komono has given Jill Jiayue She, Marcel Sommer, and Victoria Lubrun carte blanche to create a collection championing creativity and sustainability.
Komono x RAFAA, €249
LAFONT X PIERRE FREY
This is more than a collab; it’s a meeting between two brands united by a passion for fine craft and French art de vivre. To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, Lafont is teaming up with renowned premium fabric and upholstery distributor, Pierre Frey. This was a natural choice for Mathieu Lafont, who has combined the richness of specific prints with the brilliance of acetate in a collection of six original sunglasses with a very Parisian, haute-couture feel.
OAKLEY X FRAGMENT
Over the past 14 years, Oakley’s relationship with Japanese brand Fragment has enabled them to take on new and increasingly interesting challenges. For their seventh collaboration, they are innovating with two revisited Oakley Sutro sunglasses, inspired by the wilderness and Fragment’s minimalist aesthetic. Both sporty and functional, their main appeal is an ultra-sharp look in a nod to the design of the iconic Eyeshade model and the Factory Pilote logo placement.
LUNETIER LUDOVIC X MANALYS
Optician and glasses-maker Ludovic Elens, Lunetier Ludovic founder and bespoke eyewear specialist, and Moïse Mann, founder of the Manalys jewelry brand, have created an exceptional, eye-catching frame. “High Line” is a model whose audacity is only rivaled by its expertise and excellence. It took the full skillsets of these two Brussels-based craftsmen (supported by 8 others) and six months of painstaking work to create a pair of glasses in domestic Indian buffalo horn, adorned with 32 grams of white gold and set with 206 diamonds.
Lunetier Ludovic x Manalys, “High Line,” exclusive, one-off piece, €39,000
ÉCOUTER VOIR X IKKS
For the launch of its first Origine France Garantie-labelled capsule collection, IKKS is working exclusively with the Écouter Voir network. One of the most iconic affordable-luxury labels is launching eight eyewear frames made exclusively in France, in the Jura region. With their beautiful, feminine contours and rock ‘n’ roll finish, they won’t hurt your wallet. Quite the opposite, in fact!
IKKS exclusive for Écouter Voir, €149
ANNA DELLO RUSSO X MAX&CO.
Nicknamed “Fashion Manic” by Helmut Newton, Anna Dello Russo is the queen of fashion weeks in general, and of street style in particular. A journalist for Vogue Japan and a friend and muse to designers, she is also a renowned influencer and stylist. And it’s in the latter role that she’s venturing into the world of eyewear. For Max&Co, the eccentric Italian is going for minimalism with a pair of XS sunglasses made entirely of metal – this season’s star material.
Written by Yanita Kostova
Rewritten in english by Alexander Uff