To the roots

Spectacles: Bold and beautiful

Dutz Eyewear has released its collection for summer 2021, with styles ranging from “striking colours and oversized frames to subtle retro styles.”

Stealing the spotlight in the new summer collections are Dutz Eyewear’s range of bright and abstract Havana colours. Designers have added a twist to the classic colouring by pairing Havana acetate with striking prints for colourful patchwork patterns in quirky colour combinations.

Thick rimmed frames form a staple of the collection for the season, with acetates in bright colours for statement pieces, such as the men’s frame ‘DZ2265’ or the round frame ‘DZ2260,’ which sees colourful Havana combined with transparent colourful acetates. While, inspired by the 50s and 60s, browline glasses offer an iconic look.

Geometric styles feature frames in shapes ranging from octagon, pentagon, hexagon, square and rectangle in bold colours. Meanwhile, round retro-inspired frames continue to remain popular, but have been updated for 2021 with colourful translucent materials combined with metal.

Sunglasses: Built to last (but not forever)

Swedish brand, Monokel Eyewear, has released a new bio-based and biodegradable collection, with co-founder Robert Sandgren commenting: “We have always highlighted the importance of a long product life cycle, but there is a limit to everything. Each product in this collection is still made to last for a very long time, but not forever.”

Like the brand’s recycled acetate in previous collections, the new acetate is made mainly from cotton and wood fibres, but is now entirely bio-based and biodegradable.

The collection includes three new styles. These include the ‘Polly,’ a wide oval frame with thick arms and the ‘Memphis,’ which offers sharper edges and a rectangular front. The ‘Forest’ frame completes the collection, with a design that draws on the brand’s large collection of vintage reading glasses for a round-style in thin bio-acetate with Japanese hinges, stainless steel rivets and keyhole bridge. 

Spectacles: Angular styles

Continental Eyewear has highlighted three new models in the Zenith collection for 2021. The brand is popular amongst wearers from teens to the “young at heart.”

The new styles feature slim metal frames with angular fronts and are available in gold, rose gold and silver.

New frames include the ‘Zenith #97,’ a classic round frame with contrasting tips for a “sleek and refined” appearance (pictured), while ‘Zenith #98’ features an octagonal shape for a “nostalgic look” with the contrasting tips adding a modern feel.

The ‘Zenith #99’ rounds off the latest additions to the collection, with an angular square frame in what the company describes as an “eye-catching choice,” complemented by the contrasting tips.

Spectacles: Marvellous monogram

Marchon has showcased a new capsule collection from Longchamp Eyewear featuring two sunglasses and two optical frames made from 40% plant-based resin. The resin is made from castor bean oil, which the company has described as a cleaner alternative to standard petroleum-based plastics.

The collection draws inspiration from Longchamp’s Voyageuse handbag, interpreting the brand’s signature pattern to the frame styles.

The four frames offer vintage-inspired designs, while the arms feature a tone-on-tone effect with the brand monogram, as pictured with the ‘LO690S’ model. The frames are available in black, brown, blue and wine.

Safety frames: Correction in industrial settings

Honeywell has introduced a new premium prescription safety frame: the Honeywell Uvex Avatar RX. The lens is designed for workers who need corrective lenses, but also work in settings which require the use of industrial safety eyewear.

The ultra-light frames feature core temples for adjustability, as well as a patented indirect venting technology to reduce fogging.

The frames also host flexible nose pads and an “unlimited RX range lens carrier” which the company suggests ensures a maximum field of vision and protective coverage.

Lenses: Photochromic expansion

Jai Kudo Lenses has announced an extension of its Optishade range to include stock single vision. The Optishade range changes from clear to dark when exposed to sunlight and provide UV protection up to 400nm.

The Optishade stock single vision lenses are available in 1.5 CR39 and 1.6 with Infinity XT coating. The company highlighted that surfaced Optishade lenses are available in single vision, as well as Drivesense or freeform progressives.

The company highlighted that the product is ideal for “someone looking for more affordable photochromic lenses,” and highlighted that the lenses darken to 25% transmission in around 90 seconds and fade back within around three minutes when the wearer returns indoors.

Spectacles: Enhanced offering

Atlantic Optical has launched its Enhance range of frames in the UK, a collection offering styles for men, women, teenagers and children.

The collection includes 110 stock keeping units covering 260 styles. Materials in the collection include stainless steel metals and acetate plastics with no cold glaze styles. All frames also feature spring hinges and are available in a range of colours. Eye sizes ranges from 42 to 60, with bridge sizes from 14 to 23 and side lengths from 125 to 160.

Sharing the collection, the company said: “Over the last challenging year, we spent a serious amount of time talking with our customers and researching the market. Value product, quality with colour, was a strong message. Timing was right for a new collection at this price point.”