Designers' Notebook

moving MUSIC

By Amy Spiezio

Music is a soundtrack for life and can be a creative driver, stimulating the imagination, helping the mind recall ideas from the past, and generating concepts that spin designs in a whole new direction.

Whether it's classical, contemporary, or breaking new ground, the sounds and rhythms of music help set the stage for the creation of new eyewear. Here's the music that moves some of today's leading optical designers

ROBERT MARC

Robert Marc, Robert Marc Eyewear Playlist:

"Caught In The Act"/Earlene Bentley; "I Like You"/Phyllis Nelson; "I Want You"/Gary Low; "I'm Gonna Get Your Love"/Jade; "Love's Gone Mad"/Seventh Avenue; "Party"/Julius Brown; "Take a Chance on Me"/Waterfront Home; "This Is My Life"/Eartha Kitt; "Whisper to a Scream"/Bobby O

"I love listening to dance music because it creates a fun atmosphere in the office, and the fast-paced rhythm keeps me moving. In St. Barts, I go to parties and the dancing, the music, and the sound of the waves inspired me to design a Tropical Collection. I created a color palette of vivid, sun-drenched citrus hues and layered the acetate with an abstract, organic palm leaf print."

MYKITA

Philipp Haffmans, Mykita Playlist: "La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid No. 6, Op. 30"/ Boccherini; "The Cold Song"/Klaus Nomi; Griselda's "Agitata Da Due Venti"/ Vivaldi; Alcina, HWV 34, "Ah! mio cor! Schernito sei!"/ Haendel; Idaspe–"Ombra fedele anch'io"/Riccardo Broschi "The work on a vintage form such as model Woody (a classic panto shape), needs the inspiration of classic music. (Of course). The artificial voices of 18th century arias inspire me to find the perfect line."

"Despite my deceptively youthful boyish good looks, some might say elfin, I am firmly rooted in the 80s. Karen [Kirk] and I design together and we do not share the same musical taste. Karen might be listening to Gordon Lightfoot, America, Jeff Buckley, Tim Buckley, and Feist to create the perfect design ambiance. My tastes are slightly different and I am more likely to be playing The Blow Monkeys, Danny Wilson, The Dandy Warhols, Depeche Mode, or Aztec Camera." Jason Kirk, Kirk Originals

L.A. EYEWORKS Gai Gerhadi of l.a. Eyeworks Playlist: "Chelsea Hotel No. 2"/Rufus Wainwright; "The Book of Right-On"/ Joanna Newsom; "Don't Mess with the Dragon,"/Ozomatli, from Don't Mess with the Dragon; "River"/Herbie Hancock; "Elvis Presley Blues"/Gillian Welch "With a song like ‘Chelsea Hotel No. 2,’ I was thinking how Leonard Cohen's lyrics evoke that conflict of emotion when something is simultaneously brutal and unavoidably alluring. Which then led me to muse about a kind of Serge Gainsbourg persona, where you have an individual who is not conventionally attractive and yet, incredibly handsome, spirited, and attractive. These sorts of juxtapositions were just a few of the things flying around in the ether when Barbara McReynolds and I were thinking about this frame (model Rufus)."

SAMA EYEWEAR

Sheila Vance of Sama Eyewear Playlist:

Soundtrack of "The Mission"/Ennio Morricone; "I vespri Sisciliani"/Maria Callas; "American Boy"/Estelle and Kanye West; "Et Ecoute Ces Choses"/Rouge Rouge; "Intouchable Feat"/Courti Nostra; "Salvation Live"/Pascal featuring Mr. Day; "Dangerous"/ Akon

"I design all of my collections while listening to music. Two frames of note are the Donna and Femme sunglasses. Three or four times a year, when I am working on the collections, I have a DJ from France create a mix of music that is very inspiring and eclectic. It creates the mood necessary to engineer and design the frames. The mix of music ranges from the haunting beats of Morricone who captures romance and history to edginess of hip-hop and French rap. He blends music from different genres which inspires me to create intricate color combinations, shapes, and forms. All of this is necessary to engineering the collections."