Haffmans & Neumeister – Married to steel
The launch of Berlin-based label Haffmans & Neumeister marks the return of sheet-metal veterans to the eyewear market. A concept of curated frames rooted in aesthetic and design dogmas, with a heavy emphasis on historical context.
Founders Daniel and Philipp have stood at the vanguard of eyewear design for over twenty years. With ic! berlin and MYKITA, they conquered and transformed the eyewear market through the invention of, and innovative experiments with, flat sheet-metal frames.
[rl_gallery id=”3856″]
Philipp Haffmans continues the tradition he pioneered twenty years ago of utilising a dogmatic design process that hones in on the absolute essential, stripping away artifce in favour of honouring the sincerity of the raw material. The new hinge design, an elegant and integrated execution, speaks to this ethos, highlighting the beauty of its technological solution.
[rl_gallery id=”3850″]
Capri cat-eyes
Amy is wearing their Cat-Eye shaped model “Capri”. This iteration highlights the original’s dynamic brow-line, upside-down bridge, and expressive upswept sides, but has 1950s proportions. Two frame colour executions: uni-colour highlights the form of the brow-line silhouette and the frame’s abrupt changes in line depth; and bi-colour combinations mimic the brow-line style.
Less is more, with a twist
“Developing new types of glasses is what we enjoy most. However, the joy of the process faded into the background as the size of the respective companies increased,” Daniel Haffmans explains. “We want to develop new things again, and that means, conversely, to remain small and focused.” The company concept follows that of the design principle, seeking out what is essential in order to produce clarity and transparency. In order to maintain the greatest control over quality, processes, and delivery, frames are hand bent, assembled, and finished at the Haffmans & Neumeister manufactory, an historic factory building located in their home city of Berlin. Continuing their legacy of respect for traditional handcraft and an open-minded curiosity for the high-tech, Haffmans & Neumeister seek to push not only the possibilities within the material they work with, but within the eyewear industry itself.
Shooting: TEFdoesLA
Eyewear: Haffmans & Neumeister
Model: Amy Roiland of aFashionNerd
