[Vol. 4] Introducing more tide zone exhibitors- Designers from the international market

Hello everyone!
It is now 1 month away from the opening of IOFT. Those who are visiting this year’s show must be in the final stages of planning your visit. When to visit which booth… etc. etc.

If you think you have completed your scheduling, the piece of information we are just about to reveal may cause you to alter your plans.
Today we have more information about 6 brands which will be showcased at this year’s show.

Below is the lineup of today’s news:

Interview with: Mr. Dider Marder, General Manager and Art Director of EMMANUELLE KHANH PARIS – a high quality eyewear brand born from the world of fashion, loved by many celebrities. http://www.emmanuellekhanhparis.com/

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Interview with: Mr. Masashi Mishima, Senior Executive Manager of Thorough Distribution, MARI VISION INC.  He will be representing many world renowned eyewear brands such as OLIVER GOLDSMITH (U.K.）、Orgreen (Denmark), WOLFGANG PROKSH (Germany) and MEIMA (France). http://www.thorough.jp


I would like to start by introducing Mr. Dider Marder from EMMANUELLE KHANH PARIS.

(Interviewer Chiharu Nishiura, PR, IOFT Show Management)

Chiharu:
Mr. Marder, please tell me a little about EMMANUELLE KHANH.

Mr. Dider Marder

Mr. Marder:
EMMANUELLE KHANH was first founded as a fashion brand in 1969 and was very popular around the 70s and 80s in Europe, the U.S. and Japan.

 

Since then we have reconstructed our company in 2009. We now have a collection of sunglasses and eyewear. The sunglasses are very vintage and the eyewear line has an elegant French flavour to it. All our frames and accessories are hand made in France. 


Chiharu:
Your frames are so high fashion and endorsed by celebrities around the world. Could you share with us why you continually decide to exhibit at IOFT?

Mr. Marder:
The Japanese and Korean market is very important for our future business plans. Our frames are well known for its good quality in the world of fashion and we would like to do the same in the eyewear industry.

Chiharu:
I see, so IOFT is perfect for your brand as it has a distinguished place in the Asian market.

Mr. Marder:
Indeed. We wish to meet many buyers in Japan in search of luxurious fashion brands at IOFT. We would also like to meet optic stores from Korea, chain stores, independent boutiques, department stores…as many kinds of stores as possible.

Chiharu:
EMMANUELLE KHANH is definitely a brand to look out for if you are looking for something new and high fashion.
Now, the moment we have all been waiting for...could you introduce your latest eyewear that you will be showcasing at this year’s show?

Mr. Marder:
Sure.
I will show you the remake of the 1000GP1 model, which is a very symbolic model of EMMANUELLE KHANH.

remake of 1000GP1

This model was worn and loved by the 80s rap singer RUN DMC and many other people with great taste in fashion.
This was a limited edition model and was made with serial numbers.

Chiharu:
This is so cool!! This was recently worn by a very famous international singer wasn’t it… I really wish more high fashion eyewear such as this would become more popular in Japan as well.

Mr. Marder:
Thank you. Our collection of eyewear has a distinguished/unique style and quality so it can be worn by any sex, in any scene and especially enjoyed by someone who wants to wear something different. Therefore, I am really looking forward to meeting people in search of something to satisfy their needs and taste of high fashion.

Chiharu:
Thank you Mr Marder!!

Following on, I would like to introduce Mr. Mishima from MARI VISION INC.
Please introduce your brand to us.

Mr. Masashi Mishima

Mr. Mishima:

We are currently directing and distributing 4 European brands OLIVER GOLDSMITH (U.K.）、Orgreen (Denmark), WOLFGANG PROKSH (Germany) and MEIMA (France) and 1 Japanese brand from Gifu prefecture, ENA GANKYO KOUGYOU CO. LTD. with their original brands ENa (sunglasses) and EnaLloid (eyewear).

Chiharu:
Those are all brands that IOFT have been dreaming about so we are so excited about the exhibit. Could you kindly explain about each of the brands?

Mr. Mishima:
Of course. I will start with OLIVER GOLDSMITH.

OLIVER GOLDSMITH began in 1926. From 1950 many sunglasses with revolutionary designs were launched and caused a swept the European fashion scene in a flash.

There was a brief moment of silence but made a comeback in 2005. Since then it became a high fashion eyewear brand with a new edge sure to satisfy those who enjoy something striking and unusual. 

LIBRARY

The real charm about OLIVER GOLDSMITH is its timeless ability to impress and project a connection and memory of a real celebrity. Such a rare and unique meme of the brand has translated into the edge and vintage style of the end products. The natural ability to be both mischievous and elegant just goes to show the quality of the upbringing of the frames. That is the greatest attraction of OLIVER GOLDSMITH and can be enjoyed by any generation and any era.

The new OLIVER GOLDSMITH collection is a result of a collaborative work between the finest crafts men and a strict eye of selecting a timelessly glimmering vintage model out of an enormous design archive.

I will now introduce Orgreen.

The founder Henrik Orgreen was originally an importer of products such as snowboards and sold sunglasses on the side. One day he thought “We might as well make our own shades” and consulted Tobias Wandrup, a product designer and began to create the brand Orgreen.

The Designers

With his sense of style and taste, he was able to create eyewear gleaming with originality. This may be due to the fact that he based his designs on a texture completely unrelated to eyewear.
A great eye for beauty must have been preinstalled into his DNA. The refined “street style”, was inspired and born from nature, so beautiful but sometimes harmful. His continual hunger for crafts is definitely a driving force for his great work; light frames jam packed with hard work and deep content.  

ELLE

Maximilian Illustrations

The third brand is WOLFGANG PROKSH.

The designer’s name is the same as that of the brand.

Wolfgang Proksch

He bases his work on a very simple but bold style “Sexy Intelligence”. He is a very famous international designer from Germany with a very modern taste. His regular customers include new trendy brands as well as traditional fashion labels. His designs have received many awards in the past.

WOLFGANG PROKSH is iconic for its designs based on “Classic Modernism” and frames with unique structure created by the hands of a brilliantly skilled Japanese crafts men. A design loved by any era but at the same time respects the past.

The acetate frame is cut into a beautiful, modern and mainstream shape. It is very edgy but also embodies a bit of twist. An eyewear perfect for someone with a good eye. A fashionable 80s-90s style translated into something new and is a perfect match with the modern style.

And the fourth brand is MEIMA.

Anthony Meima, the designer is now 42 years old and started his own company 8 years ago. Handmade acetate frames are his main specialty.

Anthony Meima learnt how to make frames but instead of owning a optic store, he knew he will become a designer. Using second-hand machinery he began making prototypes at his own home. At the time, whilst making molds for frames, he worked with Karl Lagerfield who was involved with making eyewear for fashion brands such as Chloe and Christian Lacroix for the art couture fashion show and also worked as a product manager for 7 years with a famous French frame designer. He worked hard on discovering new craft skills, materials, colour and laminate.

XXXVII

LII

XLIX

Chiharu:
These are all famous eyewear brands! Other than the 4 brands you have just introduced to us, I heard you will also be exhibiting a brand from Gifu prefecture; ENa and Enaloid?

Mr. Mishima:
Yes we are! ENa and Enaloid, since it was founded in 1947 the frames were made at ENA GANKYO KOUGYO CO. LTD. a manufacturer that made all the plastic frames in Natsugawa (Gifu prefecture). It is a unique factory brand created by experienced crafts men with high quality skills working in collaboration with international designers in the forefront of modern design. We hope you can look at the plastic frames of ENa and EnaLoid and see our proud work and shiny quality of a Japan-made product.

Chiharu:
How exciting!!
It’s great to have so many different brands from Europe and Japan exhibiting at our show. I am definitely looking forward to how the new exhibits and meetings will contribute to the entire atmosphere of the show.

Mr. Mishima:
I hope to make new acquaintances and new connections at IOFT. Not only Japanese optic stores, independent boutiques but buyers from overseas too. I look forward to sharing these fantastic eyewear and the history and concepts behind it.

Here is my mobile number: +819046289679
If you wish to make an appointment with me, feel free to contact me at any time.


Chiharu:
Mr. Mishima thank you so much! Please contact him in advance if you wish to make an appointment!!!

[Editor’s Note:]
This time we introduced 2 companies exhibiting in the tide –The IOFT Int’l Designers zone. The brands mentioned above are all bound to turn eyewear fans on. Such a splendid interview! There are so many interesting exhibitors joining the tide zone this year, it’s really hard to keep my heart from pounding with excitement!
Keep your dates open for IOFT! You will certainly not regret it!

Written and edited by Ena Masui, International PR, IOFT Show Management

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