The Optical Gallery team have returned to YouTube for their 3rd instalment of their optical vlog series. In season 2 so far, the team have showcased the latest 2022 collections from Theo Eyewear, Cazal & their iconic Legends collections.
In March 2022, the most devastating thing happened to the team. A fire broke out in their flagship store in Twickenham, London. The Fire destroyed all their lab equipment, and the heat was so intense that it spread to the front of the store and melting a lot of their acetate inventory. Rare eyewear that was irreplaceable, shop aesthetics and also the eye test room. Heart breaking to say the least! The team have been operating out of their Chessington store since then, whilst working around the clock to get their Twickenham branch re-open.
Nik takes us to Twickenham to show us the latest work in progress update. At the moment it looks like the building has been restored back to a workable shell, so it won’t be long until they begin to move back the equipment and start the interior design process.
The team seem to be pushing through the difficult times and the passion for delivering exceptional eyewear still strives, as Nik presents the latest limited edition sunglasses drops that have arrived in store.
The first pair that is presented cinematically is Cazal’s iconic 607/3 manufactured in Buffalo Horn. This ‘Legend’ piece is a true collectors item. A chocolaty colour with a subtle hint of the horn grain, keeps in line the traditional monotone colour combination of the 607. The frame is complimented with a brown tint, and completed with a gold flash mirror that ties in the 24kt gold plated hinge accents. There is ONLY 1000 of these sunglasses on the market!
The second and third pair of limited editions have come from Kuboraum. Kuboraum have really upped the levels of their collections over the past 2 years. Previously they were well recognised for the dark, futuristic and moody styles. They made a big name through customising certain models and creating masks. These days more colour has been added to the brand, edgy shapes have become smooth and sculptured like the P series and their tubular temples. Kuboraum stand in a league of their own, and their brand transition has been executed perfectly.
For the real Kuboraum Fanatics you may remember the Chain series, where a chain is beautifully embedded into the acetate to form a pattern around the front of the frame. This customisation has not been released in many years, but in true Kuboraum style, they have released a limited amount for their new R series.
Nik has managed to get his hand on 2 new released chain styles in the R3 & R4, an ever so popular release from the brand. The R series is a bold exaggerated collection of shape with a slight baroque style towards the edge of the frontal temples. The chain adds a beautiful pattern and texture to the models that is unmistakingly eye catching and so Kuboraum! The chain has been perfectly matched to these models to emphasise that baroque style that the R Series encompasses in a futuristic way.
What are your thoughts on these models? Be sure to subscribe to The Optical Gallery’s YouTube channel, and drop your thoughts in the comments section.
