Yair Neuman is a ground breaking frame designer who has used old spectacle lenses to create sculptures, lighting, and new spectacle frames. Read on to discover how he developed a new material and learned how to turn it into glasses and much more.
Yair, what was your first job?
I worked at a place that was a paradise in winter and a sort of hell in summer, that was in front of a furnace in a foundry for casting sculptures in metal.
What courses and qualifications have you taken to become a designer?
I studied product design at the Design Academy in Eindhoven and Ravensbourne college in London.
How did you first become interested in spectacle frame design?
The first frame I worked on was for Ron Arad’s pq Eyewear brand who introduced me to spectacle frame design. Since then my interest has only grown and even now there is still so much to learn and develop.
How did you go about inventing DELEREX™?
Soon after I started designing eyewear I started witnessing the huge amount of waste created in the process of making and selling it and I wanted to do something to reduce it. Generally, innovation is a big part of my interest in design and the two ambitions came together on this journey of developing DELEREX™.
How did you learn about the technicalities of frame design?
I have been lucky with the support I received from opticians, brand owners and senior designers. There is also a significant amount of trial and error one goes through, especially when the emphasis is on innovation.
What are the challenges of spectacle frame design?
Comfort and fit are very important. There are also production challenges and sustainability challenges. Plus there is great importance to every little detail in the shape. The slightest change in a line or an angle could create a completely different frame and as a designer you can very easily be trapped in a never-ending loop of changes, tweaks and updates.
What do you love about your role?
Eyewear design is somewhere between product design and fashion design. It requires precision, technical skills and attention to detail whilst allowing for expression and creativity, I like that.
Watch how Yair creates spectacle frames in his workshop: