Pe Christian Roth si Eric Domege, cei doi designeri din spatele celebrului brand de ochelari Christian Roth, i-am cunoscut la trunk show-ul organizat de OPTIblu in showroom-ul din Radu Beller. Brandul este nou intrat in portofoliul OPTIblu, iar cei doi au venit la Bucuresti sa le cunoastem povestea si sa isi prezinte cea mai noua colectie, avand ca sursa de inspiratie propria arhiva de creatii adunata in peste 30 de ani de inovatie.
[EN] I met Christian Roth and Eric Domege, the two designers behind the famous eyewear brand Christian Roth, at the trunk show organized by OPTIblu, in Bucharest. The two designers came to Bucharest to tell us their story and present their latest collection, inspired by their own archive of creations, gathered in over 30 years of innovation.
Inspirati permanent de stilul Bauhaus (minimalist, geometric, functional) designerii au readus la lumina modele vedeta din arhiva lor intr-o colectie omagiu adusa unor oameni ce i-au inspirat, cum e modelul Jackie 60 dedicat lui Jackie Kennedy sau Archive 1993, o reinterpretare a modelului cumparat de Kurt Cobain si purtati in 1993, la celebra sedinta foto cu fotograful Jesse Frohman. Desi probabil ca multi am vazut poza asta cu Kurt, prea putini am stiut ca ochelarii erau Christian Roth. 🙂
[EN] Permanently inspired by the Bauhaus style (minimalist, geometric, functional), the designers redesigned some of their former creations and launched a tribute collection to those extraordinary people that had influence their success or inspired them in any way. Among them you will find Jackie 60 dedicated to Jackie Kennedy or Archive 1993, a reinterpreted model of the ones bought by Kurt Cobain and worn in 1993 at the famous photo shoot with Jesse Frohman. Although probably many of us saw this picture with Kurt, too few knew that the glasses were a Christian Roth design. 🙂
Photo:noisey.vice.com
Anii ’80 au reprezentat inceputurile brandului, asa ca designerii si-au dorit sa recreeze ramele care i-au consacrat, reusind sa le ofere energia timpurilor noastre, prin forme optimiste si festive, adaptate noii generatii.
Dar poate cel mai interesant lucru legat de ei este ca sunt considerati aproape parintii designului modern de ochelari si ca isi datoreaza succesul unui sir fericit de evenimente combinat cu fler si imaginatie. La inceputul anilor ’80, Christian lucra alaturi de un fotograf celebru la vremea respectiva, Rico Puhlmann. Intr-o zi a primit sarcina de a gasi o pereche de ochelari de soare deosebiti pentru o sedinta foto. Dupa ore de umblat si negasind nimic spectaculos, s-a intors cu mana goala la Rico si i-a spus ca nu a putut gasi nici macar o pereche suficient de deosebita. Nu si-a pierdut jobul, dar a primit propunerea de a crea el o colectie de ochelari wow, si uite asa au introdus si ideea de statement piece in designul ochelarilor. Au produs un singur model de ochelari, dar gratie legaturilor pe care le aveau in lumea modei, au ajuns sa fie fotografiati si au aparut rapid in revistele de moda de atunci. Marile magazine din Statele Unite au inceput sa ii sune iar ei nici macar nu incepusera cu adevarat productia. (Visul oricarui designer 🙂 ) S-au apucat sa produca in Italia, unde au avut noroc ca fabricile le-au acordat un credit de 90 de zile, astfel ca au putut vinde ochelarii inainte de a plati productia lor. Asa cum recunoaste si Christian intr-un interviu, in zilele noastre i-ar fi fost mult mai greu sa porneasca o afacere si sa aiba asemenea succes intr-un timp foarte scurt. Pe vremea aceea, oamenii te ajutau daca le placea ce faceai, te promovau fara sa platesti si nici macar nu aveai nevoie de PR pentru a reusi.
[EN] The 80s meant the launch of the brand, so the designers wanted to recreate some of the frames that have brought them success, managing to provide the energy of our times through optimistic and festive shapes, tailored for the new generation. The lens-in-lens technology, unveiled for the first time on stage podiums in 1986, has allowed them to experiment with shapes and colors that remind of the charm of Art Deco architecture in Miami, a city where the two live.
But maybe the most interesting thing about them is that they are in a way the parents of modern eyewear design and owe their success to a happy series of events combined with flair and imagination. In the early 1980s, Christian worked with a famous photographer of that time, Rico Puhlmann. One day he was given the task of finding a pair of special sunglasses for a photo shoot. After hours of walking and finding nothing spectacular, he returned with a bare hand to Rico and told him that he couldn’t find a pair that was special enough. He did not lose his job, but he received the proposal to create an eyewear collection of statement pieces, one different from everything produced before. They designed a single model of glasses, but thanks to the connections they had in the fashion world, their design was quickly photographed and appeared in the fashion magazines of that time. The big stores in the United States began to call them before they even started production. They began production in Italy where they were fortunate to work with factories that gave them a 90-days credit, so they could sell their glasses before paying for the production. As Christian also admitted in an interview, it would have been much harder now to start a business and have such success in a very short time.
L-au cunoscut pe Andy Warhol si aparitia acestuia la un eveniment purtand ochelarii lor a fost suficient pentru a le consolida pozitia in lumea modei.
In 1989, Christian Roth a fost primul brand de ochelari ce a primit invitatia de a face parte din CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), ca recunostinta pentru inovatiile facute in domeniu si contributia lor la revolutionarea designului de ochelari.
De-a lungul timpului au avut colaborari intense cu Karl Lagerfeld sau Michael Kors, asa ca pentru cunoscutori, stilul Christian Roth este usor de recunoscut in colectiile lansate cei doi mari designeri.
Fata de alte marci super cunoscute de ochelari, Christian Roth este acum una mai low profile datorita designerilor care si-au dorit sa fie prezenti pe piata intr-un mod controlat si relativ limitat, alegandu-si foarte bine magazinele unde isi comercializeaza colectiile pentru a mentine un soi de exclusivitate. Ochelarii pot fi cumparati si din magazinul lor online, metoda preferata in general de generatia tanara, iar noi in Romania de la OPTIblu.
[EN] They met Andy Warhol and his appearance at an event wearing their glasses was enough to strengthen their position in the fashion world.
In 1989, Christian Roth was the first eyewear brand to receive the invitation to be part of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), in recognition of the innovations made in the field and their contribution to the revolution in eyewear design.
Over time they have had intense collaborations with Karl Lagerfeld or Michael Kors, so especially for the connoisseurs, the Christian Roth style is easily recognizable in the collections launched by the two great designers.
Unlike other well known brands, Christian Roth has become a more exclusive one, thanks to its designers who wanted to control and relatively limit their presence on the market, by choosing very well the stores where they sell their collections. They can also be bought from the Christian Roth online store, a method generally preferred by the young generation, and in Romania from OPTIblu.
Pe langa povestea frumoasa a brandului lor, ce mi-a placut la ei a fost senitatea si felul deschis de a comunica. Calzi, naturali, fara a lasa impresia ca sunt superiori in vreun fel, desi sunt oameni cu un succes uluitor, oameni ce au scris o pagina in istoria designului. Sunt parteneri de 34 de ani atat in business cat si in viata personala, arata extraordinar chiar daca se apropie de 60 de ani si au demonstrat ca iti pot imparti fericirea si succesul impreuna cu o singura persoana. Au asteptat 32 de ani ca sa aiba dreptul de a se casatori si au demonstrat ca dragostea poate astepta oricat chiar daca nu sta intr-o bucata de hartie.
Oamenii din spatele brandului sunt mai inspirationali decat brandul insusi, pentru ca in realitate, toate povestile extraordinare au in spatele lor oameni extraordinari. Iar lectia despre succes este simpla: fa ceva extraodinar & cunoaste pe cine trebuie. 🙂
[EN] Besides the interesting story of their brand, what I liked about the stwo designers was their serenity and openness. Calm, natural, without giving the impression of superiority in any way, although they are people with a tremendous success, people who have written a page in the history of design.
They have been partners both in business and personal lives for more than 34 years, they are in great shape and look amazing in spite of their age and have demonstrated that happiness and success can be shared with the same person and can last a lifetime. It took them 32 years to have the right to marry and showed that love can wait even if it does not sit in a piece of paper. The people behind the brand are more inspirational than the brand itself, because in the end, all great stories have great people behind them.
Photos: Courtesy of Christian Roth and OPTIblu
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