Cubitts charity auction features artist collabs

The nine frames, created with renowned designers, will be exhibited during London Design Week, before being auctioned for charity

3 min read

Four pale wooden plinths each hold a quirky frame: the foremost is a blue sunglasses frame with a wiggly asymmetrical design and yellow lenses, to the left is a round frame made with clear material and a touch of yellow, in the far back is a bright pink sunglasses frame designed to look like two hands with bright nail varnish in the ‘okay’ pose with pink lenses, finally, above them all is a Havana print sunglasses frame with brown lenses and circular holes gradually decreasing in size along the arm of the frame

Cubitts / Richard Round Turner

Kimberley Young

09 September 2024

Cubitts has launched a charity auction featuring nine spectacle and sunglasses frames created in collaboration with designers and creators from across the fashion, fine art, and design world.

The frames will be exhibited in Cubitts’ Islington site for London Design Festival from 14 – 28 September.

Spectacles in the exhibition have been designed in collaboration with Shona Heath, Laxmi Hussain, Yinka Ilori, David Shrigley, Jaimus Tailor, Erica Toogood, Faye Toogood, Daniel Weil, and Wilfrid Wood.

Cubitts shared that the frames, handcrafted at the King’s Cross workshop, explore unconventional materials and experimental techniques, along with a variety of design concepts.

A frame rests on a mottled concrete plinth. The frame is a silver colour and very chunky, with straight arms, the texture appears rough and ready, inspired by the tin foil model this frame was based on

Cubitts/ Richard Round Turner

Tom Broughton, founder of Cubitts, commented: “I’ve always thought a pair of spectacles is a work of art. And so it feels fitting to be working with real-life, genuine, brilliant artists. Working with some of the most fantastically creative and irreverent people in the UK, I’m beyond excited to see how they reinvent the humble spectacle frame.”

The frames will be available to bid on through an online auction, with all proceeds to be donated to the creative arts charity, Create.

Broughton continued: “As well as being an enormous amount of fun, the auction can hopefully raise both funds and awareness of Create, a charity that celebrates the unbridled power of creativity to do good.”

Designers participating in the collaboration have also donated accompanying objects which will be auctioned alongside the frames, including original artworks and one-of-a-kind garments.

Commenting on the partnership, Nicky Goulder, founding CEO of Create, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with a company that shares our passion for creativity, on clear display in the vibrant and varied frame designs involved in this initiative.”

“We are committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, has the opportunity to engage in the creative arts, and thank Cubitts for selecting Create as its charity partner,” she added.

The auction opens 14 September and closes 28 September.

Describing the spark behind his frame design, David Shrigley, OBE, the renowned British visual artist, said: “I came up with this design by observing spectacles and noting that each lens is the same size. I thought maybe it would be interesting to make them different sized, which is what I’ve done.”

The sunglasses designed by Yinka Ilori, MBE, a London-based British-Nigerian artist, designer and entrepreneur, were inspired by the calabash, an “essential object to everyday life in Nigeria due to its versatility,” when dried this is used for items from musical instruments to baskets, fishing, to decorative items.

A frame rests side-on to the camera. The frame is a soft, semi-transluscent yellow in a gradient from almost light-green to a darker yellow. The arm of the frame is studded with two plastic flower elements, ‘Yinka Ilori’ is eteched in white against the arm, which has a simplistic red flower pattern

Cubitts/ Richard Round Turner

“The shape of the frame was modelled after what it looks like to cut through a calabash. You’ll also see floral ornaments and my signature pops of colour featured, which make them truly fun and unique,” Ilori said.

The Toogood design studio presented two concepts for the exhibition and auction. The designs were initially modelled in tinfoil and clay – materials used regularly in the Toogood studio – and Cubitts spectacle makers were challenged to recreate the sculptural models in acetate.