Issey Miyake’s new project ‘Issey Miyake Eyes’ strives to set the eye-wear standard of tomorrow. Issey Miyake collaborates with a major Japanese manufacturer in eyewear, Kaneko Optical, to create a lightweight titanium structure that can transform.
The designer Yusuke Takahashi says about the new project:
“The concept was inspired by the idea of a ‘metal rod as a simple brush stroke. Just like Issey Miyake when making clothing from the idea of a single piece of cloth (” a piece of cloth ‘)’, so we worked on developing a proposal for glasses developed from a single line recalling the shape of the backbone of a human body.
The glasses feature delicate shapes formulated in titanium, the world’s most durable metal. Lightness and rigidity are unique to titanium and convey a balance between function and design.
While based on a classic design style, the eye-wear differs from the competition in utility. The “Hexagon” model can be freely detached and reattached together. This allows one to change the style from eye-glasses to sun-glasses. This design functionality was developed by Kaneko Optical. The lenses also feature a variety of colors to further change the appearance.
Another new material choice is the plastic rims surrounding the lens. At 3.7 mm thick the acetate, a rich gloss and a raw material, helps reduce deformation and the inversion which creates deterioration with age, also a recommendation based upon Issey Miyake’s new collaboration with the Japanese manufacturer, Kaneko Optical.
The Fashion Plate Magazine 