A New Tide, Drift Eyewear Design
Welcome back to Thisframeworks.com dear eyewear lovers! I’m back home in California and definitely doing some dreaming about my collection. I am so excited to share a bit more about how "Drift" eyewear came to be. It’s a story that is rooted in research, technical challenge and trusting my design aesthetic and instinct. It is also from being a designer for lot of years and waiting for the right vehicle to express my vision!
The idea for Drift began with a simple question that became a creative mission: "Why do all smart glasses have to look so like tech on your face?" I was determined to create something that defied this norm. My goal is to bridge high art and technology to create amazing genderless eyewear designs that become seemlessly adopted into your personal digital ecosystem. I joked with my design instructor that I also wanted to make glitter masculine and feminine - a powerful design element for everyone! You dear eyewear lover will just have to determine if I succeeded but personally, I think I nailed it :)
The inspiration for this collection came to life in the beautiful Via Curtatone classroom in Florence, surrounded by beauty and incredible mentors. In Monica’s class, I began sketching the designs and learnt how geometry and shape could make something feel masculine or feminine. She taught me eyewear usability and found a way to give feedback that both honored my vision and took it to the next level. Barbara, with her deep passion for acetate, opened up an entire world of possibilities for materials and helped me understand how I could achieve different effects by combining different acetate creation methods. Polina gave me such amazing, pointed feedback to look at other products that appeal to both men and women and are seen as collectables and this is where Drift was born. Then Nicola, with a patience that was truly profound, helped guide me through the challenge of 3D modeling it!
Through Polina’s lectures I began to understand a bit more about fashion trends and looking back at history led me to take inspiration from the 60s, an era not unlike now that was experiencing a lot of political change and technical revolution. Space travel, TVs in living rooms and traditional gender fashion norms were being challenged by people like Mick Jagger and David Bowie. YSL comes out with its “Le Smoking Tuxedo”, an iconic concept that allows women to take on a powerful silhouette made iconic by Catherine Deneuve. A concept so well embraced it is still revisited every year. I also looked at other products that were both highly collectable, seen as high art and broadly appealed to both men and women. This included mid-century modern furniture like the Eames chair and the Dieter Ram 620 chair, so popular still it was put back into production.
Drift is for the customer who is a collector of high art and technology. These are individuals who wear and seek out confident geometry and a bold silhouette. They appreciate a product where the design and craft is just as important as its function. There are six unique deigns and I named the frames after icons from the 60s, including Helvetica, Eames, Mick, Deneuve, Quasar, and The 620. The colors are also a reflection of this unique perspective and homage to where I live in California, close to the beach with names like Wet Sand, California Fade, Beige Spritz and Hot Fizz.
This is the very beginning of my journey, and I’m nervous and excited to share the steps with you. The class and the passion of the instructors gave me the confidence to take Drift from a concept to a real business. I’m preparing for an Eyewear conference in Santa Monica in Oct called “Loft, where I’m hoping to make connections, learn and possibly meet partners and bring this vision to life! I’m careful not to share too much online until I have more solidified plans but if you’d like a personal viewing, please reach out!
