Salt.
Black Bear Collab
US-based Salt and the famous clothing brand Black Bear have created an exclusive collaborative project consisting of only one style of sunglasses with gold details.
Salt is an independent premium eyewear brand from coastal California that is committed to quality construction and timeless design inspired by effortless beauty. Since its founding in 2006, Salt wants its wearers to have the finest and most comfortable fitting glasses, that is timeless and lasts. The Californian brand, which has unveiled so many different collabration collections to the optical world since its foundation, now launches another high-profile partnership. The partner of Salt Optics this time is Black Bear Brand. The apparel brand, which is known for its exceptional craftsmanship and high quality products, is a perfect fit for Salt. We present the interview with Salt Optics’ Marketing & Sales Manager Brice Gollnisch about his valuable insights into the collaboration between the two US-based brands.
Hello Brice, what are the reasons why collaborations are so important for Salt Optics?
Relationships and connections with people and the highest quality craftsmanship are the values that Salt stands for, and collaboration projects are at the heart of that representation. The fact that we are making connections with people outside the industry is a great way to create unique products that are sometimes very technical, sometimes a little bit outside our Dna. Collaborations encourage us to constantly push our boundaries and strive for more.
What does a collab partner basically have to bring to the table so that you can imagine working together?
Rather than just looking at what a partner can bring to the table, we look more at the end-result we can achieve by working together. If you look back our previous collaborations with Aether, Northsails, Radford and others, whether it’s apparel, automobiles or eyewear, we have always shared the same vision with our partners in terms of quality, technique, expertise and the desire to make the best possible product.
Could you elaborate for our readers on the common values that led Salt and Black Bear to collaborate?
We have long had a deep connection with the Black Bear brand. Like Salt, Black Bear has a passion for heritage and a philosophy that reflects design, manufacturing and a relentless pursuit of excellence. We also share a common value in delivering products that last. Because longevity is the aspiration of every premium brand that wants to endure and build a lasting relationship with its users. And Black Bear and Salt aim to create pieces that will last for generations. We also overlap with Black Bear in visual language. Both Salt and Black Bear focus on timeless designs. Trends are fun but they come and go, right? So if you want your product to last, you need to go beyond trends instead of following them. That’s exactly what Salt and Black Bear are trying to achieve, and while it may seem simple, it’s a lot of work.
Could you tell us about how Salt’s collaboration with Black Bear started?
We worked with Joshua Sirlin, the Creative Director and indeed the mind behind the Black Bear brand, for some time. Already Salt has always been Joshua Sirlin’s personal eyewear brand of choice. The first project we did was a custom Horween Leather case handcrafted in the USA. After this project, as Salt team, we talked to Joshua Sirlin about the possibility of working on a custom eyewear piece. For us, human connection is a priority and the timing was right to work with Black Bear on a custom eyewear model that reflects our sensitivity to premium handcrafted works.
To what extent did Black Bear Brand get involved in the product design?
Josh had a particular style that he liked, so he took aspects that he liked and built on that. Josh Sirlin and his team were involved in the whole process. From the packaging to the smallest detail, it was a true collaboration. Allow me to actually quote Joshua here. “Designing this collaboration with Salt feels like the culmination of a journey, a convergence of two worlds steeped in the pursuit of making the best. These glasses are more than just accessories; they’re an expression of what I love about eyewear.”
In this collaboration project you focused on a single model, Sirlin. Could share the features of the model?
Just like for any other Salt piece of eyewear, we focused on the delicate balance of fit and style. The Sirlin is 100% made in Japan using the highest quality Japanese hardware. We have custom thickness transitions to ensure rigidity, durability and a proper fit. Also, like any other Salt sunglasses, we use 100% polarized optical grade CR-39 lenses offering superior optics. However there are also features that make this frame unique and that we haven’t tried before at Salt. It’s the first time we’ve used precious metals to create custom hardware! We have 24K goldplated hinges and core wires, as well as solid gold functional rivets. We have a custom temple tip etching for enhanced grip and a detectable gold inner skeleton on all 3 colors.
Black Bear Brand is a very masculine brand. Could your collab glasses also appeal to women?
Black Bear Brand is focused primarily on menswear, that is true. However, the exclusive collaboration style we developed together is very unisex. We worked to achieve a sunglass that would fit a wide variety of face shapes and sizes, and the color palette we landed on is very timeless for both men and women.
Source: Spectr
February 2025