Eyewear as Jewellery
Larma Eyewear, a fashion eyewear brand dedicated to creating sunglasses with an avant-garde look using recycled materials, is only three years old!
Larma is a fashion eyewear brand committed to creating sunglasses with an edgy look using second choice materials. The frames are carefully handmade in France and Italy, combining cutting-edge craftsmanship with avant-garde design. Guided by their desire to blend design, craftsmanship, and eco-responsibility, Swiss creative duo Ania Marincek and Julia La Mendola founded Larma in 2021. The designers are based between Paris and Geneva. Their journey spans various fields such as fashion design, jewelry, product and accessories design, as well as fashion and luxury management. For their first commercial collection, the studio created five eyewear models with bold, colourful designs, each available in three colours. Imagining their eyewear as jewellery, the designers created this collection with colourful, beaded acetates made from industrial waste. Combining texture, bright colours and expressive designs, every step of the design process is thought through with the aim of offering responsibly made unisex frames.
Larma is the result of research and dialogue around fashion, responsible design and regenerative production. The brand’s objective is to be part of a fashion that distances itself from the established codes of fast fashion and mass production cycles by offering a high-end accessories and eyewear brand with a responsible approach. Their design team is committed to produce the most ethically possible while ensuring high quality products at fair prices. Being at an early stage of their journey, making fully sustainable products constitutes a real challenge. However, in order to reduce waste and carbon footprint, they are committed to continuously look for innovative solutions to improve their impact and their eco-responsibility guidelines are circularity, exclusivitiy, proximity, quality and transparency.
When it comes to circularity, Larma frames are exclusively made of deadstock or recycled acetates from the eyewear industry. This process allows to reduce waste and re-purpose it into new products. The long-term objective is to produce exclusively with recycled materials. Exclusivity is also guideline for Larma. The amount of same-colour acetate is variable with deadstocks and offcuts. Therefore the brand can only produce a limited amount of each, which is why they offer exclusive models and limited series. Another way to avoid overproduction. The other guideline is proximity. Larma Studio makes it a point of honour to remain the most local possible in their supply and production chain. Working with companies within a small radius allows them to collaborate with the local traditional craftsmanship and generate low carbon dioxide emissions. All their suppliers and manufacturers are based in Europe; Their packaging and sunglasses are made in Northern Italy while their acetate supplier is based in France.
It is essential for Larma to work with high-quality materials and craftsmanship in order to offer long-lasting products. Accordingly, they exclusively work with the best quality materials as well as suppliers and manufacturers known for their expertise. Latest guideline is transparency and Larma are convinced it is possible to be part of the fashion industry while contributing to building an eco-positive approach to production and consumption.
They don’t claim to be fully sustainable yet but believe honesty and communication with their customers about their journey is key. The brand hopes it can encourage people to seek ethical choices when they consume.
The First Series of Larma / Genesis
For Larma’s first collection Genesis, the Geneva-based studio created five models of bold and colorful sunglasses, available in three colors each. Imagining eyewear as jewellery, the designers created this collection with pearled and colorful acetates made out of the eyewear industry waste. Combining texture, bright colors, and bold designs, every detail is thought to offer high-end genderless shades manufactured responsibly.
Design, Eco-responsibility, Craftmanship / Bloom
Guided by their desire to fuse design, craftsmanship and eco-responsibility, Swiss creative duo Ania Marincek and Julia La Mendola presents their brand new new eyewear collection Bloom by Larma Eyewear. This series of four shape variations maintains the elegant spirit of their first collection Genesis while adding a sporty touch and assertive volumes with elegance. The designers have taken on the challenge of creating sunglasses with a focus on three core values. First value is design. They prioritize bold, colorful, and sophisticated designs for their eyewear, allowing customers to express their individuality through unique styles. On the other hand Larma gives importance to eco- responsibility. Larma is committed to environmental respect by actively recycling acetate waste and materials from dormant stocks. By doing so, they avoid the consumption of first-choice materials, reducing their impact. Finally, Larma designs exclusive collections produced in limited series. This approach creates a sense of rarity and uniqueness, appealing to consumers looking for one-of-a-kind eyewear. By manufacturing their eyewear in France and Italy, Larma not only ensures top-of-the-range quality but also honors and supports local craftsmanship.
Source: The Eyewear Forum
June 2024