Launched in 2015, Blake Kuwahara Eyewear was the result of the designer’s affinity for combining often opposing aesthetics in an artisanal way. By using laborious production techniques and extensive handwork, each frame has a unique inner silhouette encased in an unexpectedly fresh outer shape. This seamless fusion of two frames and the juxtaposition of contrasting form and color creates a design tension that is thoroughly modern yet comfortably familiar.
Created for the first time in Spring 2020, the Grey Label is a very different expression of Kuwahara’s “artful but wearable” design ethos. “As an optometrist, studying human anatomy was part of my professional training; as a designer, I became intrigued by the similarities of the movement of the skeletal system and the articulation of the hinge of a frame, ” says Kuwahara. Using techniques more commonly used in jewelry design, small bones and joints are cast to create the sculptural temples and end pieces.
The Fall 2021 Collection consists of 9 new styles including 4 designs from the Grey Label. “I think that there’s a spirit of optimism and lightness ahead. This collection reflects that in terms of more color and fun new shapes,” says Kuwahara. His signature frame-within-a-frame laminated technique for which the designer (and CFDA member) has become known is clearly evident this season with his use of contrasting colors as well as his casting of bones in his Grey Label Collection. All styles are sleek, sophisticated, and extremely modern, a super-refined choice for fashion insiders.
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