Embracing the iconic Italian architect’s style, the Los Angeles-based eyewear company releases new titanium frames.
By Rachel Gallaher
Frames from the new Oliver Peoples collection, designed in collaboration with architect Gio Ponti's estate.
Last week, California eyewear company Oliver Peoples released the second series in its Takumi collection—a selection of colorful, geometric frames created in collaboration with the Gio Ponti Estate. Ponti, an Italian architect known for his prolific and genre-crossing work—he designed hundreds of buildings in Italy and around the world, founded popular design magazine Domus in 1928, and worked with skilled craftspeople to create furniture and decorative arts—had a successful career that spanned six decades and pushed the boundaries of the design industry into new and interesting territories. Oliver Peoples worked closed with Ponti’s family estate to create three new titanium eyewear styles including two optical frames (with a sunglass clip) and a pair of non-prescription sunglasses.
“Gio Ponti has always been a key source of inspiration for me, and specifically, the project started with the idea of paying homage to this great architect and his incredible impact,” says Giampiero Tagliaferri, creative director at Oliver Peoples. “In order to ensure his legacy, every detail of the frames was deeply sought after, discussed with Salvatore Licitra, curator of the Gio Ponti archives, and further studied to recreate the Gio Ponti aesthetic. Having the opportunity to work closely with Salvatore Licitra has been a true honor and his final blessing on the design and concept is a guarantee that every aspect of this collaboration has been done in respect of Ponti’s design principles and aesthetic.”
The optical glasses in the collection come with a sunglasses clip for maximum versatility.
Part of the company’s Takumi collection—the first series was inspired by Frank Llyod Wright’s Walker House in Carmel, California—the pieces draw from Ponti’s aesthetic, showcasing his signature design elements such as clean lines, sharp angle, and geometric shapes. Innovative details include a faceted titanium temple and endpiece, as well as a bridge with strong angles and a pointed center, mirror the lines of Ponti’s work, and the colorways are inspired by his interiors and furniture designs. A new titanium color, polished brass, was developed exclusively as a reference to metal pieces, and the sage green and mustard yellow shades in the acetate lenses were chosen to complement the tones of the frames. As Tagliaferri notes, “from the diamond-shaped temple and the angular extended bridge to the chosen metals and custom acetates and lenses, every aspect respects the work of Ponti.”