It may have been a rainy day, but on Thursday, sunglasses were a focus at the CFDA headquarters. That’s because nine eyewear brands and their designers were on hand for the CFDA Eyewear Showcase.
The schedule was packed with editor appointments, culminating in a cocktail hour to celebrate the showcase’s inaugural edition.
Participating brands were Barton Perreira, Blake Kuwahara, Christian Roth, l.a.Eyeworks, Leisure Society, Morgenthal Federics, Oliver Peoples, Robert Marc and Selima Optique.
The day, said Blake Kuwahara, “gave us the opportunity to, as a group, really showcase eyewear as an important accessory. We had a great turnout of editors, and for them to see us as unified category was important. It’s funny. We are friends, we are competitors, but we are also clients. My collection is carried by l.a.Eyeworks and Selima, for example.”
Robert Marc echoed these sentiments. “It’s always fantastic to be with this group. We’re competitors and we’re friends, and we all go back a long time.”
Leisure Society’s Shane Baum used the opportunity to spend time with peers and, as he put it, “people you respect. “It’s interesting to see everyone’s point of view,” he said. “Everyone has a different take on a fashion accessory that is becoming increasingly important.”
The sense of family in the room was palpable. Christian Roth, who spearheaded the showcase, called it “that collective feeling of unity, of family. Like Ms. Von Furstenberg always says, we are competitors, and we are family.”
