Shauns, the California–based, Italian-made luxury eyewear line has unveiled a debut collection of optical frames, consisting of eight optical styles, accounting for fifty-seven new SKUs in total.
Staying true to the brand’s “Soulful Luxury” mission, craftsmanship is given the highest priority in all frames throughout this new collection, produced by hand in small family-owned factories at the foot of the Italian Alps.
Four of the new shapes are 100 percent premium acetate, while the remaining four continue the brand’s exploration of combining acetate with stainless steel and colorful enamel.
A key priority of Shauns is its “Give Sight” program, through which an optical exam and pair of glasses is sponsored for someone in the developing world with each pair of optical glasses sold.
In keeping with the Shauns design philosophy, high attention to detail and very discrete branding is evident throughout the collection. The collection includes two unique and innovative enamel-filled metal temple designs.
A “trench” is milled out of the metal temple and then a color enamel is used to full this trench before polishing. The result is a wonderful juxtaposition between the metal and enamel for a very luxurious effect. All of the acetate temples include a metal “hinge lining” whereby the cut temple is finished with a metal cap, engraved with the Braille “S” logo for Shauns; invisible when on the wearer’s face, the detail is purely for the owner’s pleasure.
Colors in the collection include some of the most popular acetates from the sun collections like the abalone shell, granite and military green.
New colors come in the form of a unique petrified wood, a walnut burr, a beautiful throwback caramel color. Included are also some striking temple and front split colorways. Many of the colors are paired with gunmetal or gold stainless steel to create a striking mixture of materials and colors. Overall, an incredibly sophisticated collection of colors, that Creative Director, Shaun Paterson, spent many months developing.
A balance of rounds, rectangles, and cat eye shapes of varying sizes are offered in the debut optical collection, as well as the unique retro racer shape shown in the crossover sun frame, the “Dee” (inspired by early 1970’s sports cars, particularly the Porsche 911). The “Tiree,” on the other hand, offers a new, refined take on the ever-popular cate eye shape with a combination acetate and stainless steel front that is distinct and timelessly sophisticated.
Prices for the collection range from $235-$350, not including prescription lenses.
For more information on SHAUNS California and its current collections, please visit www.SHAUNSCalifornia.com.