Luxury house CHANEL presented its Spring Summer 2024 Eyewear collection that explores the nostalgia of the 1970s and 80s, while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of modern fashion aesthetics. The collection merges classic aviator-style frames with mask styles, and introduces precious details that revisit the emblematic codes of the House, offering a refreshing reinterpretation of vintage glamour through the lens of contemporary design.
Captured by fashion photographer Karim Sadli, the campaign features a diverse cast of models including Liu Wen, Loli Bahia, América González, and Alaato Jazyper, who each bring a unique essence to the collection, embodying the elegance and boldness that CHANEL is known for.
Gabrielle Chanel‘s innovative use of two-tone designs has historically been a signature element of her allure, and it continues to influence the brand’s creative direction. The 2024 eyewear collection showcases this through four distinctive pairs of sunglasses: a large square, a high butterfly, a revised cat-eye, and a sophisticated shield. Each pair combines classic or pop color combinations that are both gentle and contrasting, illuminating the designs with a vibrant interplay of hues. True to Mademoiselle Chanel’s famous adage, “the inside must be as beautiful as the outside,” these sunglasses feature black frames trimmed in a secondary color that also appears on the back, perfectly matching the iconic double C logo on their wide temples.
The construction of these pieces is as innovative as their design. The lightweight frames are crafted from nylon fiber and fitted with mineral lenses that provide better visual acuity than traditional lenses, ensuring both comfort and clarity. The two-tone theme extends beyond just color contrasts; it includes a pair of sunglasses and another frame designed specifically for Blue Light filtering, where the fronts contrast brightly colored temples enhanced with a double C lacquered in inverted tones.
Color continues to play a pivotal role throughout the collection. For instance, the oval-shaped sunglasses blend burgundy with raspberry, while the Blue Light version combines black with pink. A butterfly frame featuring the CHANEL letters on the temples mixes acetate with metal, adding a subtle yet striking flair. The collection also includes photochromic lenses that respond dynamically to light changes – shifting from pink to mauve grey or from champagne to dark brown upon exposure to UV light and reverting just as quickly when in the shade.
Completing the lineup is an elegantly designed aviator frame set with 72 hand-placed cubic zirconia diamonds that spell out CHANEL along the temples. This piece showcases genuine jewelry-making expertise, with each diamond meticulously set to echo Gabrielle Chanel’s spirit of blending precious stones with costume jewelry.
The latest eyewear collection from CHANEL celebrates the heritage and artistic vision of the brand and also pushes the envelope by integrating advanced materials and technologies with classic style elements. It stands as a proof of the timeless appeal of CHANEL, continuously evolving yet always maintaining a link to its rich past.
