milton glaser debuts two limited-edition sunglasses for classic specs

‘this may be a total failure,’ says graphic designer milton glaser presenting his latest project. at the age of 88, glaser — who famously designed the I ❤️ NY logo — has made his first foray into eyewear with two sunglasses: the BOLDO and the FOLDO. however, the designer says that the project is a risk as it ‘doesn’t look like everything else’. while FOLDO’s frames unfold completely flat, collapsing from three dimensions to two, BOLDO features shielded side panels, conceived as a contemporary take on steampunk goggles.

‘this may be a total failure,’ said glaser presenting his latest project

in launching the glasses, milton glaser partnered with classic specs, a brooklyn-born eyewear brand founded in 2010. contrasting the firm’s collection of timeless and versatile sunglasses, glaser admits that his project is somewhat experimental. ‘I’m very interested in how people are going to respond to this…whether I misunderstood the problem and I created something that people inherently don’t like.’

FOLDO frames unfold completely flat

‘I hate marketing and I hate branding, because they assume you know the answer before you begin,‘ adds the veteran graphic designer. ‘innovation involves risk, because you’re doing something that people don’t yet understand. and that’s the reason why things move slowly in life and in marketing. people are very cautious, particularly when there’s money behind it.’

175 BOLDO sunglasses have been made, while only 50 FOLDOs have been put into production. both limited-edition frames will retail for $150 USD.

the FOLDO frames collapse from three dimensions to two