Blake Kuwahara launches its largest collection to date with the expansion of the grey label.
This spring, the celebrated eyewear designer Blake Kuwahara will debut his largest collection to date, with 19 new styles.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”Blake Kuwahara” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”17″]We launched The Grey Label with just four (4) styles last Fall. The initial collection introduced the use of casting to create the three-dimensionality of a skeletal motif. With the eight (8) additional new styles for Spring, there is more meat on the bone- so to speak.[/perfectpullquote]
Indeed, the Blake Kuwahara Grey Label is a deliberately different expression of his brand’s design ethos of “artful yet wearable”.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”Blake Kuwahara” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”17″]As an optometrist, anatomy and biology classes were a prerequisite in my studies (Kuwahara holds a doctorate in Optometry and a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Psychobiology). I’ve always been intrigued by skeletal structures. In my earlier KATA Eyewear Collection, I used exo-skeletons (shells, beetles) that were cast using the same techniques as jewelry makers. For this new collection, I used endo-skeletal structures that are produced in the same old-school way.[/perfectpullquote]
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The joints and bones that form the end pieces and temples become evident with closer inspection.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”Blake Kuwahara” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”17″]My intention is never to shock or have any element of the frame jump out at you. Rather, it’s about discovering the subtle, nuanced details.[/perfectpullquote]
The Spring 2020 Collection will also include 11 additional styles with a mix of optical frames and sunglasses for both men and women incorporating Kuwahara’s signature frame-within-a-frame laminated technique for which he has become known. “This season I wanted to use much more translucent and transparent colors in shades of crystals, blue-greys, taupes, and carmel. It’s a much lighter palate but still rich in tone,” says Kuwahara.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”Richard Mewha, President of Fade To Grey, the distributing company for Kuwahara’s line” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”17″]With the growing retail and consumer base for Blake’s designs and appreciation for his keen aesthetic sensibility, we have invested in growing the number of offerings each season- this release being our largest. Product is key, and this is where we feel our resources are best placed.[/perfectpullquote]
Kuwahara, the founder of the multi-disciplinary design agency, Focus Group West, first gained international acclaim as the creator and designer of the exclusive KATA Eyewear brand. His groundbreaking use of engineering and production techniques together with his highly curated eye reinvented the way eyewear design is approached today.
Free press release: Blake Kuwahara