michele de lucchi reinterprets four classic typologies of eyeglasses for JINS

japanese eyewear brand JINS has teamed up with michele de lucchi for the third installment of its design project, which so far includes collaborations with konstantin grcic and jasper morrison. with emphasis on personality, the italian architect has reinterpreted four classic typologies of eyeglasses: boston, cat-eye, round and polygonal; resulting in contemporary forms and colors that enable wearers to ‘design themselves’.

all images courtesy of JINS

in developing the four designs for JINS, michele de lucchi traced back the history of eyeglasses, and studied their role as anthropological products that enhance and communicate human personalities. ‘it can be said that in the choice of eyeglasses, each person designs themselves and how he/she appears to others,’ the architect notes. ‘by studying the history of eyeglasses, I learned about the basic shapes and typologies of the lenses and fronts; for instance, the wellington and boston. in designing eyeglasses, even when you think that your mind is open and free, a design can fall into a typology. since this rarely happens when designing some other product, I started by trying to understand the ingredients of each typology. by altering the bridge and temples, which would become the distinctive details, the form of the eyeglasses evolves into various styles.’

the four pieces, each produced in four different material/color variations, are named after de lucchi’s team – monica, federica, davide, and his own, michele.  ‘the eyeglasses designed for JINS are a reinterpretation of four typologies of lenses: boston, cat-eye, round and polygonal. starting with these classic designs, each new shape is designed and reinterpreted in a contemporary sense,’ de lucchi explains. ‘the glasses have been rotated, the thicknesses of the materials have been changed, and the silhouettes have been slightly deformed and distorted. an in-depth research on facial features, expressiveness and eyewear history has guided the experimentation to define the best lenses and frames.

project info:

designer: michele de lucchi

brand: JINS