Today and the last few weeks have been much easier, I feel as though i'm settling in much better and am able to do many tasks and help out better. I'm happy with the amount i have learnt so far, on illustrator, within the office and on reception.

I'm really happy with this placement so far. With just 3.5 weeks left, time is starting to go really quickly. Its just a shame that the majority of the work is confidential and i am not able to show most of my work.

Lunetier Vintage

Today i discovered this vintage eyewear store 'Lunetier Vintage' in Portobello. Their website is full of the most superb, brilliant and exciting eyewear ive ever seen! You must check it out!

Black eyewear

Black eyewear is based just above Oxford St, surrounded by cafes and restaurants. The company recently presented their collection within the Selfridge's exhibition of 'bright old things' featuring  Robert Roope, the founder of Black eyewear. The exhibition was exciting but the styles are classic.

Even though the staff seemed friendly enough, i was slightly disappointed to find their collection rather mild and unimpressive. I love the layout of the store with long mirror down the one side of this very narrow shop. It was also interesting to see how customer for eyewear shops, how they see another person wearing something and feel the need to try that one on too.

Sunglasses Hut

Knowing that the company is owned by Luxotticca, a company that owns 80% of the eyewear industry and makes a fortune on putting a large price on mediocre to very poor eyewear. I did not have big expectations on entering the Oxford Street store.

I was delightfully surprised to find the staff were incredibly knowledgable of the industry and it was great to discuss their thoughts of the Luxotticca brand and the origins of different styles of glasses. We discussed the products and the brands, they agreed that they hate the fact the eyewear is produced incredibly cheaply and that it can be sold at such a huge price. However they love the products and they feel each of the brands are able to hold a their price range due to how they are marketed.

After trying a few pairs of sunglasses, i was surprised to find the quality to be quite high and felt great on my face. For the eyewear not being top of the range and sold to the mass market, my opinion has completely changed. I would consider buying a Ray Ban or Oakley. Many of the products are very tacky and would look terrible on, but if chosen correctly the perfect everyday pair might well be within the store.

Cubitts

Following up on my previous post on the same brand, Cubitts is a small store between Soho and Oxford St. From the outside, the store looks fresh and thriving with customers. The window displays their most intriguing shapes within glass domes.

Walking into the store i saw very few ranges of sunglasses, but they all came in the same shapes and colours of acetate and gave the impression of a wide collection. The staff seemed slightly unfriendly and reserved, but otherwise i delighted in the idea that there is the impression of an eyewear company thriving that is not owned by Luxotticca. All the shapes were classic but had the simple acetates and a mix of the more unusual and contemporary.

Vintage Optical, Portobello

Today, i was informed about an eyewear collection hidden at the back of a vintage store, so i went along to Portobello and searched for the hidden gem! The store is called Vintage Optical.
And what a gem it is!! The collection of eyewear is VAST! I had an amazing time talking to the shop assistant, as he explained the store uses the vintage frames as a reference and then recreates the wanted design at the back of the store, using handmade acetate sourced from Italy. I think this concept is great.

After spending about 2 hours in the store, i looked over and tried on hundreds of wonderful and ludicrous frames. The shop assistant, Fergus, was great to talk with about the entire eyewear industry and the thoughts of where the industry is heading.
Despite 80% of the eyewear industry being taken over by Luxottica (a huge monopoly which includes Rayban and many easy and cheaply manufactured products) he feels there is still a large market for quality, and unique, striking frames.

Wolf & Badger

This is a really great concept store full of emerging designers who rent out a space to hold clothing, jewellery or sunglasses. the presentation of the store is very contemporary and holds some incredibly beautiful products.
 Within the store there is a great new eyewear brand 'Taylor Morris', set up in 2013. The glasses arent particulary very unusual but are claimed to hold high quality and are sold at a reasonable price.

Eyewear; A Visual History

Today i found a brilliant book on eyewear that i have not previously come across. Inside are some crazy conceptions and products that i had not previously come across. This book is always on hand in the design department of Linda Farrow and i can easily see many references to recent collections.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in either eyewear of vintage accessories.

I recently joined up to the british library to explore their shelves and their excellent business and entrepreneurship advice. However i am completely baffled at how to use the library.It seems to me that people type on a computer to search their required book, they are then approached by a librarian that shall hand them the book. I'm not sure i like this idea, it completely defeats the reason why i joined and it makes the place very unwelcoming.

Visiting Boutiques in my Lunch Break

After researching eyewear blogs within London, i found quite a few within walking distance to the LF HQ.  During my lunch break i decided to have a browse and became unexpectedly surprised at my first impressions of the store and the way the brand they present theirselves.

Darkroom

this is a boutique that sells a whole manner of very cool homeware items and also a few pairs of sunglasses too! I love the way the store looks, the colours and layout, and the way it really contributes to cool factor it seems to own. I would LOVE to purchase from this store, especially the minimalist mobile sculptures. The staff were super friendly and i will definetely visit again soon!

Schuller opticians

The next store i visited was the opticians, Schuller. They have a vast range of alternative eyewear (none owned by Luxottica) that are very fun and surprisingly flattering. The staff are very welcoming and knowledgable about every product. They also have a small line of great sunglasses mainly created by Mykita, a fashion forward brand with flattering shapes. These beautiful frames do not come without a rather large price rand of around £350-400. However, if you would like a perfect, alternative pair of frames with efficient service with a wonderful smile, do not miss this place.

Also the inside was rather glamorous and i did have to find a pair of balls to enter.

Oliver Spencer

This is a brand that i have heard of very recently as they have recently changed their production of their eyewear back to collaborate with Linda Farrow. The sales assistant was very knowledgable of the Linda Farrow brand and it was great to hear from the horses mouth what the next design direction would be. This brand is mainly a menswear brand that also has a range of unisex eyewear. 

Also today i found a tenner on the floor, went to Harrods after work, then went half way to oxford and back in my cousins new convertible BMW! 

overall a very good day 

Karen Walker

Karen Walker is a massively exciting company based in New Zealand which provides all fashion porducts but is highly famed by their sunglasses range. KW produces very fashion forward frames with energetic advertising. They sell their products globally within boutiques and high end fashion stores, at a mid-range price between $300-$400 (NZ).

Their range of products are very easy-wear and will flatter most face shapes. The frames are bold and striking, using brilliant shades of tortoishell and clean cut contrasting lines on black frames. The designs are very youthful and portrays the company image to be lighthearted and easy going.

I enjoyed seeing their products within Harvey Nicholls, they were one of the most quirky and interesting brands in the sunglasses department. I wish i could visit their HQ, see their product and learn more about their brand, however they are all out in Auckland.... maybe one day.

Prabal Gurung x Linda Farrow

The past few collections with Prabal Gurung have been very exciting and have created a large amount of publicity to both brands, due to the unusual designs. Here are a few over the passed few years;

For their s/s 16 collection i was asked to start producing some ideas from the very basic, incredibly Prada-esque design they had given us. With this i decided to build it up very slowly, changing each section so that i could go back on each design if i needed. 

After creating these designs i was then informed we shall not be working with them until they start doing some proper designing on their side, rather than leaving it all to LF to deal with.

Religion Clothing

I have been set the task of creating a few designs for the brand Religion. Their clothes are usually monotone and quite drapey, most well known for their mens' t-shirts with quite x-rated imagery.
I created a moodboard from their recently most visually exciting prints and details within their collections.

The collections can inspire different ways of trapping elements into acetate, such as sequins or glitter. This is quite an expensive method and cannot be done through injection moulding, the method most companies use.

The brand would like a range of very simple eyewear pieces to add to their collection for ss16, their initial thoughts are for a wayfarer style in monochrome colours, nothing that pushes the boundaries too much, but will make a classic style that will suit most faces.

I felt this acetate swatch really represented the brand well, however it shall not be used as the company need very simple, inexpensive materials, and the ideas should mainly kept to monochrome gradients and dip dye effects.

On this image i use the sample from above on the temples, and keeping the front simple by only using just black acetate and monochrome gradient acetates in typical and more unusual ways.

Here are a few quick designs i produced from the brief that Religion set me, using the classic wayfarer shape and incorporating the moodboard materials.

Reception

For the morning of today i had to be the receptionist and showroom host. All qualities most would need for this job title do not lie within me, as proven today. I completely embarrassed myself infront of the big boss and embarrassed the brand, i had no idea how to work a switchboard telephone and managed to hang up on various clients. The only reason this is my current job role is because the last receptionist left with no warning and i am sharing the role with fellow interns. I enjoy greeting clients into the showroom and offering beverages etc.

At the same time as this i am also uploading info into Sage, the database. terribly mind-numbing and usually need 2 seconds before picking up the phone to put my mind straight. Other than this my day has been alright, being on reception means that i can greet the employees and they have to greet me back, even though gritted teeth! (sometimes just a mere filthy look, sometimes with no look at all) either way i feel fortuitous that the chance has arisen where i can easily talk to others.

Anyway, even if i was crap at answering phones and stuff.. it is my job for tomorrow morning too.

Today i was set the task of creating a new aviator for the Matthew Williamson collaborative brand. I took the original lens shape from a recent collection. I also went to the showroom to look at the Linda Farrow and collaborates pieces to gather a little inspiration. Here are some of the aviator styles that are the most visually exciting;

Matthew Williamson are well known for their colourful designs, this also includes their eyewear range. MW always request bright shades but simple shapes. For this design i also didnt want to go too heavy on the detail but wanted something that is different to the typical aviator shape. 

These are a few very brief designs. They shall be pitched to Simon soon, however so many designs are created that this image does not represent any slight forecasting and is mere mind vomit.