SILMO 2023

With just a day to go until the Paris show opens, eyewear teams and designers are descending on the French capital with new launches and premieres for the coming season and Spring/Summer 2024. Our final feature ahead of the show rounds up some of the latest products to be launching during what looks set to be a very warm and sunny September weekend.

Silmo Paris, the annual optical event which provides a global platform to showcase eyewear from around the world, opens on Friday 29th September at 9am and runs through the weekend until 2nd October. The creative talent of the independent eyewear segment looks set to surprise and amaze visitors during the event again this year through their work and dedication to the production of specialist, quality-driven eyewear collections in all manner of materials, colours and designs – for all tastes and personal styles. Those who take risks in working with new sustainable materials or with new techniques or advanced technology, never before seen in the eyewear business, as well as those who adhere to the strictest finessing of traditional eyewear production will be among those we will be seeking out during the show to ascertain what’s next for the industry – as sustainability pressures continue to grow. Above: LEINZ Eyewear – www.leinzeyewear.com – the Berlin-based brand – will release new styles at Silmo including a special edition collaboration with Parisian fashion designer, Guillaume Larquemain – the styles feature Larquemain’s signature Apple Skin Pattern – Larquemain uses an innovative apple bio-material produced with apple waste from the beverage industry in his bag collection 

Intriguing colour stories inspired by nature: model Teton by SALT. Optics

One of the new styles from SALT. Optics (C4 2023 collection) is men’s frame Teton, an acetate design with four colorways of black, coastal fog, desert fog and matte woodgrain. SALT. Optics has made a feature of the frame’s custom Japanese core wire, via a stamped organic pattern that can be seen beneath the frame. This hand polished detail represents “nature’s effortless beauty”, the principal design focus that informs the whole SALT. collection. www.saltoptics.com

Timeless design: Irwin by Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses will show in Paris this week

Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses will release models Carters and Irwin as part of their much loved Oliver Goldsmith Winter Sun Collection. The two sculptural pieces offer powerful silhouettes that capture the personality of the collection which is characterised by a ‘re-imagining’ of classic sunglass profiles. Find out more: www.olivergoldsmith.com

Tarian Paris: model Cateri sits on a handmade ceramic logo block

The Paris based designer Jeremy Tarian will launch new products in his mainline collection, including the bright blue version of the Cateri, a limited edition with a 3-layer acetate construction where an optical illusion is created between the thickness of the acetate and the finesse of the frame’s lines. The bridge is characterised by an artistic colour design. www.tarian.paris

Stonewashed finishes: new colours will be introduced in the Rolf Spectacles’ Substance collection

Rolf Spectacles told Eyestylist that they will release new colours in the Substance collection including new stonewashed  graphite and jade tones. They have also announced their new Wire collection which promises progressive design and an interesting take on bold colour and colour combinations – a fresh departure for the Austrian brand. www.rolf-spectacles.com

Nova by Struktur: an oversized rectangular style, designed for smaller faces

Normandy-based artisan eyewear design label Struktur produces an eyewear collection that is exclusively made in France according to traditional artisan spectacle-making practices. A frame like the new Nova offers a distinctive sculpted look thanks to expertise in variable step bevelling, while the 5 -claw hinge is integrated for a sturdy functionality and ideal pantoscopic angle. Struktur states that each frame is created with 80 specialist steps carried out by experienced artisans. www.struktur-eyewear.com

EOE Eyewear – launching their exciting Stone Collection

The sustainable eyewear brand from Northern Sweden – EOE Eyewear – will show a collection created in collaboration with jewellers from Lannavaara (Swedish Lapland) who work with natural stone. The stones featured, which include quartz and mountain crystals, have been used for decorative elements on the frame structures and temples with dramatic results. www.eoe-eyewear.com

Ollie by AM Eyewear – part of a line inspired by the British music scene

Australian label AM Eyewear will return to Silmo after several years absence, owing to the pandemic. The collection they are showing for Spring/Summer 2024 pays homage to British brand New Order’s 2001 album release ‘Get Ready’, and features several on-trend squared and edgy rectangular designs – a popular look in eyewear this season. There are eight new sunglass designs in total with shapes offering a “defiantly young modern aesthetic”. This collection uses sustainably produced bio-based custom coloured ZEISS sun lenses in tones of Brit Green, Rust Red and Navy Blue. Italian-made bio-based acetates carry the traditional tortoiseshell and black frames, while introducing a heavier new palette across the crystals with Wheat, Maple, Khaki. The collection also introduces new block colours in Nude, and pastels in Baby Blue and Baby Pink. www.ameyewear.com