Silhouette celebrates the catwalk and the anniversary with Polimoda
This year, Silhouette is celebrating the iconic Titan Minimal Art design with a special 25th anniversary project: for the next generation of visionaries, the famous model has been reinterpreted in an avant-garde way by students from the Polimoda fashion school in Florence.
After an in-depth journey into the art of eyewear creation, accompanied by Silhouette head designer Roland Keplinger, the three fashion design students Ian Morris McDonald, Luca Polonio and Gabriela Marie Blake completed their training by learning how to transform a visual concept into a tangible product. This found its full expression at the Polimoda graduation show on June 12 in Florence. The newly interpreted Silhouette models appeared on the catwalk together with the students' collections.
When asked "What inspired you during the project?", the students answered as follows:
Ian Morris McDonald, USA
"I studied the shapes of old cycling glasses and then compared them with modern glasses. My aim was to combine the different characteristics of both worlds. I opted for a minimalist but edgy shape, combining ideas from the past and the present and also taking influence from the patterns and iconic style of Silhouette eyewear. I achieved the balance between tradition and innovation by creating a modern shape with streamlined cuts and sinuous lines."
Gabriela Marie Blake, Ecuador
"I have transformed swimming goggles into a wearable accessory. In doing so, I have retained the irony that characterizes my collections while focusing on the characteristic silhouette approach. I have used the simplicity of the glasses to create the illusion of a frame. I took inspiration from my grandmother's square glasses from the 70s and combined them with swimming goggles to create something unexpected."
Luca Polonio , Brazil
"For my collection, I was inspired by what gives an object its shape and studied Gothic architecture and the anatomy of living beings. My aim was to create sculptural garments with unique shapes. Combining this idea with Gothic architecture, I was mainly inspired by church ceilings when designing the sunglasses. I wanted to take the iconography of aviator glasses as a starting point, build a bridge here and find a way to combine it with the rectangular shapes inspired by the incisions in Gothic ceilings."
All photos ©Max Montingelli
