If you’re too familiar with eyewear from big brands, how about giving a chance to some independent brands which present a more discerning work, from both an aesthetic point of view and for the commitment it has to the quality of its pieces and in valuing the craftsmen involved in the production.
MYKITA
Everybody knows that Germans love rules, organization, and that they are serious. Germany makes products that are nearly always trustworthy. Founded in Berlin in 2003, a city in German that famous for history and art, MYKITA is an eyewear manufacturer known internationally for its hand-assembled prescription frames and sunglasses.
MYKITA’s product design is straightforward – seeing how something is built has become the most recognisable feature of MYKITA frames. Unlike those big brands, MYKITA doesn’t have a conspicuous logo on their products. They push visible logos and conventional luxury codes into the background and focus on details instead. An example is the latest collection that collaborated with Masion Margiela, the designer carves the initial of these two brands –M on the nose bridge. 
The MYKITA Spring/Summer 2019 collection presents an array of products that showcases the innovative, bold and graphic style of the brand on its own. The MYKITA STUDIO series showcases a nineties hip-hop aesthetic and MYKITA MYLON showcases unique toned-down 3D-printed navigator designs.
Now, the brand is available at PUYI Optical Hong Kong.
Jacques Marie Mage
Jacques Marie Mage (JMM) is an eyewear brand that, despite being just four years old, combines style, tradition and exclusivity like few others. Founded in Los Angeles, California, where the past has relative importance, but the sunshine is plenty, JMM’s target is an informed customer who knows exactly what they want.
Quality is based on the use of excellent materials – acetate and metallic temple tips, such as titanium, horn and wood. Thanks to Jerome’s accumulated experience and know-how, the materials are handled by the best artisans in the field, in Japan and Italy, who bestow Jacques Marie Mage pieces with details and finishes of unusual craftsmanship.
JMM currently has three collections. Circa comprises the more classic pieces inspired in large part by the enormous collection of frames that Jerome has amassed over the years and which heavily features acetate, combined with titanium, gold or bronze temple tips, or just titanium, such as the case of the H.S. Thompson aviators. Vanguard, as the name suggests, brings together the bolder projects where the materials blend with audacious forms. Finally, optical features pieces that are more suitable for daily wear.
Gentle Monster
Thanks to the K-Pop phenomenon, Gentle Monster (GM) is not new to Asian fans. GM’s products are always appearing in famous dramas and in the daily look of Korean artists. The price range is around USD 180-300, which is quite reasonable for a pair of glasses from a popular brand with a stylish design.
The signature collections such as SALT S1, SLOW SLOWLY and TILL DAWN are very easy to wear and mix and match with daily outfits.
In recent years, the brand’s deigns are more and more edgy and bolder, which is good for fashion shoots.
The founder also pays much attention to off line stores. Anyone who has been inside a Gentle Monster store will know it is not just any eyewear store. In fact, it is a multi-sensory experience, with the displays done up to look like exhibits. Its products are exhibited like museum pieces in “an immersive and experiential offline shopping experience.” Even if you don’t buy the products, you will also have a great time in the store and the unforgettable experience will keep reminding you of the artistic style of the brand in your mind. I think this is the goal that the brand wants to achieve.
*Editor-in-Chief of Essential Macau
