French artist and designer Clara Besnard is making headlines with her unique tentacle-like design born from the archive of eyewear brand Parasite and vintage acetate frames. The design won the Silmo d’Or Prix Special du Jury at this year’s Silmo Paris to honor exceptional and innovative designs. The frame is made entirely from spare parts and old frames sourced from Parasite workshops and the Brussels-based vintage optics store Bidules. Young designer Clara Besnard handcrafted her award-winning model Morph Alpha, a system of tentacles with its primary roots in Parasite’s 2003 Morp V01 and secondary roots in acetate temples and fronts from the 1970s and 80s. A graduate of La Cambre’s accessories design master’s program, Clara Besnard is an accessories designer who creates eyewear and jewelry creations from recycled materials. Her newest collection, Blooming of a Face, was selected as a finalist at the Hyères International Fashion Festival. To learn more about the young designer’s work and to see her handmade eyewear and jewelry, visit her website.

December 2024