Jeremy Thomas for Oko by Oko PARIS

Vintage reworked
Italian designs from the 1950s have been given a makeover by French firm Oko Eyewear Paris,
joining the company’s more modern Moko Besicles line
The French frame firm
Oko Eyewear Paris has
introduced a new premium
line of acetate frames
inspired by vintage Italian
designs of the
1950s. Prototype designs
for the New-York
collection, part of
its OkobyOko-Paris
brand, were introduced
at Vision Expo East in
New York earlier this
year and the new designs
will be on show at the
Silmo exhibition (September
23-26).
Designer and optician David
Beddock, one of the founders of Oko,
collaborated with an optician and
family friend from Rome, having been
inspired by her stock of vintage frames.
These original designs have been
reworked and the resulting collection
is 100 per cent made in Italy, with 20
models for men and women in bold
acetate colour combinations.
Beddock explains that he wanted to
recreate old glamour, taking inspiration
from New York city and the cinema of
the 1950s and 1960s. This can be seen
in the feminine cat’s eye and butterfly
shapes for women. Some of the frames
use original production methods, such as
the metal bridge with filigree detailing
in models NY01/NY02 and NY03.
Oko Eyewear was set up in the heart
of Paris in 1999 by a group of optician
friends and its frames are now stocked
by some 2,000 practices in France.
The company’s first collection, was
OkobyOko
which uses
the company’s
trademark logo of a tortoise. A
large range, this includes frames in
surgical steel and others in hand-made
Italian acetate, with a choice of
over 80 designs in vivid through to
sober colours. The collection is being
extended by some 20 new models in
acetate and metal for Silmo.
Material choice
Beddock explains the thinking behind
his eyewear: ‘I like the idea that our
spectacles are an indicator of trends; the
Oko models represent a kaleidoscope of
materials, the aim being to express the
joys of living. Even though I’m looking
for originality, I don’t wish to go as
far as obliterating the personality of
the wearer. Successful eyewear should
express the person’s character without
stealing the show.’
The New-York and OkobyOko
frames contrast with the
company’s chemically cut steel
‘Moko Besicles’
line of modern
looking styles
which are
made in Jura
region of France. These
light, flexible frames are screwless,
using a mechanical hinge system with
interlocking pins instead of a hinge
and come in a wide colour palette from
reds to gunmetal. The base-4 designs
feature interchangeable earsocks in
different shapes, colours and material
options of silicone, rubber and acetate.
Adaptable acetate inserts allow for the
use of thinner lenses than the grooved
Trivex or polycarbonate options and
enable consumers to personalise their
spectacles. Moko Besicles frames are
named after Greek mythology, from
Zeus through to Phoebe, with six new
designs for Silmo.
There is also a Kidoko collection of
children’s frames, with 17 illustrated
models aimed at children as young
as four through to 10-year-old
pre-teenagers. Oko describes Kidoko
frames as original and unusual, with
well-crafted details. New for Silmo are
four models in acetate, a first for the
collection, along with two in metal.
● Oko frames are distributed in the UK
by the AgenC. Contact Jeremy Thomas on: 07825828252.