Tomas Maier’s search for eyewear perfection
‘Your glasses say a lot about you,’ explains Tomas Maier, the veteran fashion designer with the vision of an artist and the hawk eye of an architect, ‘and in general I think people want quality glasses that are not overdesigned.’ True to form, his partnership with Kering Eyewear for his debut S/S 2016 collection remains strictly tied to this vision. Design, but not too much. Flair, but just the right amount. Casual style, but delivered with razor-sharp execution.
The move into eyewear represents continuity more than change for Maier: ‘I have always worn glasses myself and we have sold them in our stores successfully for years,’ he continues. ‘When the opportunity presented itself it seemed a very natural evolution.’ His choice of Kering as a partner was no less natural for a man in search of perfection, a choice solidified by ‘their innovation, design and manufacturing capabilities, which are the best’.
The range is composed of ten unisex styles whose effortless aesthetic conceals a wealth of design expertise, whether in the engraved ridge detail of the temple tip to prevent slipping, or the anti-reflective coating on the underside of the flat lens models.
‘Novelty should not outweigh functionality,’ Maier adds, in characteristically minimalist terms. This same mantra has been applied throughout his illustrious career, spanning positions at Sonia Rykiel, Revillon and Hermès, and continuing in his role as creative director for Bottega Veneta.
Maier is quietly confident about this latest venture; most specifically the uncompromising quality of the range: ‘The aviators are extremely light, flat lensed and ultra-minimal. Upon examination, you get it – the effort that went into them to make them different.’ Indeed they rely on the power of hand craft, a rigorous design process and superlative materials. But then, with Tomas Maier, one expects nothing less.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Tomas Maier's website
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice Biennale
The best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
Crispin at Studio Voltaire, in Clapham, is a feast for all the senses
New restaurant Crispin at Studio Voltaire is the latest opening from the brains behind Bistro Freddie and Bar Crispin, with interiors by Jermaine Gallagher
By Billie Brand Published
-
Vivienne Westwood’s personal wardrobe goes up for sale in landmark Christie’s auction
The proceeds of ’Vivienne Westwood: The Personal Collection’, running this June, will go to the charitable causes she championed during her lifetime
By Jack Moss Published
-
The best fashion moments at Milan Design Week 2024
Scarlett Conlon discovers the moments fashion met design at Salone del Mobile and Milan Design Week 2024, as Loewe, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Prada and more staged intriguing presentations and launches across the city
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
Extraordinary runway sets from the A/W 2024 shows
12 scene-stealing runway sets and show spaces from A/W 2024 fashion month, featuring Murano-glass cacti, rubber armchairs, flashing orbs and more
By Jack Moss Published
-
This season’s womenswear channels freedom and escape
These S/S 2024 womenswear looks promise an escape from the everyday, and are photographed amid the otherwordly landscapes of the Canary Islands for the March 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*
By Jack Moss Published
-
In fashion: the best of S/S 2024 in 12 transporting looks and accessories
The looks and objects that encapsulate S/S 2024’s mood of escape and discovery, from crystal-studded sunglasses to behemothic beach bags
By Jack Moss Published
-
Bottega Veneta’s one-off chocolates are the sweetest Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 winner
These hand-painted chocolates, made by Peyrano to celebrate Bottega Veneta’s collaboration with Gaetano Pesce, win ’Best Goody Bag’ at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
By Anne Soward Published
-
Best in shows: Wallpaper* picks S/S 2024’s standout looks
As part of Wallpaper’s Design Awards 2024 issue, we select the winning S/S 2024 runway collections – and their defining looks – at the start of a new season in style
By Jack Moss Published
-
Dripping slime, bedhead hair: 2023 fashion highlights, as picked by the Wallpaper* team
The Wallpaper* style and beauty team picks their 2023 fashion highlights, from curtains of slime at Prada to bedhead hair at Miu Miu, and Pharrell Williams’ Paris shutdown for his Louis Vuitton debut
By Jack Moss Published
-
Why the men’s tie is no longer a relic of the past
In the hands of these designers, the men’s tie is being reinvented in colourful, imaginative new fabrications – making it 2024’s most desirable accessory
By Jack Moss Published