Celebrated eyewear designer Blake Kuwahara introduces nine sunwear styles as part of his first eponymous eyewear collection Blake Kuwahara Eyewear. Like the optical collection, each sun frame is handmade in Japan and crafted from richly colored Italian and Japanese acetates using a proprietary process that seamlessly fuses two separate frames together to create a frame within a frame. The inner frame is made of rich block material with a more complicated structure and the nuances of multicolored acetate. The outer frame incorporates crystalline monocolors, creating a distinctive juxtaposition of contrasting shapes and materials. The result is one frame with two personalities—the inside frame is classic, and the outside is rock ’n’ roll, as described by a recent customer of Kuwahara’s.

The styles in the sunwear collection are available in classic shapes including aviators, CatEyes and P3s. The frames’ color palette is drawn from nature, with color names such as Baltic, Marble, Slate, Smoke, Oak and Burl, truly evoking the colorways represented in the frame acetates. The CR39 lenses provide 100 percent UV protection, with some styles available in flash mirror coatings.

—Christine Yeh


PHILOSOPHY:
“The overall philosophy of my collection is to create sunwear that is at once artful but wearable,” explains Blake Kuwahara, founder and designer of Blake Kuwahara Eyewear. “There is an artisanal sensibility to the frames. Each is handcrafted with particular attention paid to the beveling, skiving and the overall ‘hand’ of the frame. Tactility is often overlooked and underappreciated in frame design—it’s not just about how the frames look but how they feel. We’re trying to bring this appreciation back to eyewear.”

MARKETING: Two laminated Lucite logo plaques (4- by 4-inch and 6- by 6-inch) and a sculptural metal display with a hand-burnished bronze finish are available. Each frame comes with a hard-shell case wrapped in a textured, leather-like material with the Blake Kuwahara logo in an antique pewter finish.

PRICE POINT: $$$$$

CONTACT: For additional information, contact Fade to Grey, (816) 220-7533; website: blakekuwahara.com

INSIGHT
Blake Kuwahara’s bold experimentation and innovation has earned him a devoted following in the fashion media. A celebrity favorite, Kuwahara’s designs have been worn by Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Jr., Will Smith, Jeremy Piven, Samuel L. Jackson, among others. A longstanding member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), Kuwahara also serves on the executive committee of the newly established Eyewear Designers of the CFDA working group within the Council.