Do you ever wonder how spectacle frames are designed? Students at the Royal College of Art have a chance to take part in an exciting design competition each year, and the winning frames are displayed at the eyewear industry’s trade show, 100% Optical. Read on to meet one of this year’s finalists.
What encouraged you to enter the competition and design your first glasses?
My practice centres around recycling plastics in my work as a lingerie designer, so I applied to this competition as it the brief was to use recycled acetate and was a continuation of my current themes and questions.
What were the challenges of designing a pair of specs?
I poured my temples in resin and set dried British wildflowers inside the material, which was challenging as it was my first time using resin. Acetate was also a new material for me to work with so I had to learn how it responded to heat.
What did you enjoy about the process?
I most enjoyed meeting amazing makers in the field during this project, introduced to us by our tutor. Specs are very technical to produce and in I found this both challenging and enjoyable
Would you consider designing more frames in the future?
I would definitely consider making more frames in the future. I love the expressive aspect of eyewear and how it can change a face.
Want to know more about courses that cover spectacle frame design? You can follow the RCA FAME course on Instagram.