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.
Kuwahara’s bold experimentation and innovation have gained him a following in the fashion media and has been profiled in Vogue, ELLE, Bazaar, GQ, In Style, and Esquire and has been seen on E!, Access Hollywood, MTV, and CNN. Buzz magazine voted Kuwahara one of the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” and Detour magazine called him, “a gifted talent, blessed with a savvy and unmistakable sense of style.”
Kuwahara was recently named by Brilliant Magazine as one of the “100 Most Important People in the Eyewear Industry”. Kuwahara has also collaborated extensively on eyewear collections for John Varvatos, Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Behnaz Sarapfour, Hanae Mori, and Coach.
A celebrity favourite, Kuwahara’s designs are worn by Lil Nas X, Elton John, QuestLove, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Jr., Will Smith, Jeremy Piven, Samuel L. Jackson, Casey Affleck, Slash, and Gwyneth Paltrow among many others.
Kuwahara is a longstanding member of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and is a board member of the Eyewear Designers of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (edCFDA).
He has garnered a multitude of awards for his designs including “Best of Category in Consumer Products” from I.D. magazine, the 2016 “Silmo d’Or” for the “Kahn” (Blake Kuwahara Eyewear), and the “Silmo d’Or – Prix Special Journalists de Mode” from a panel of French fashion journalists (KATA Eyewear). Kuwahara was most recently nominated for the 2020 Silmo d’Or for BK1006 from his Grey Label Collection.
Read more about this brand on TEF Magazine or visit their website.
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