It comes as no surprise that Summer is Christian Roth’s favorite time of the year –  it’s the perfect season to wear his luxury eyewear. After spending a few weeks in Europe roaming the major cities, Roth and partner Eric Domege recently spent time with family and friends around Saint Tropez and “some remote, un-chic, but romantic island in the Baltic Sea.”

Roth is currently back in Miami, working on his Spring 2021 collection.

This Q & A is part of a series highlighting the Members of the edCFDA (Eyewear Designers of the CFDA).

Where were you born/where did you grow up?

Germany – I was born in Hanover and grew up in Hamburg and West Berlin.

What was your favorite activity as a child?

Mud flat hiking.  In the summer, at low tide, it was thrilling to  cross from the island of Föhr to the island of Amrum in the North Sea – a 5-mile hike.

What was the first thing you bought with your own money?

A pair of Giorgio Armani pants from his first men’s collection in 1976.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Speaking at least six languages (instead of only three).

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

I mean.

What is your greatest fear?

The idea of having nothing to do.

What is your greatest extravagance?

A very spontaneous trip to a new destination.

What is your favorite vacation destination?

My latest favorite: Harbour Island!

What is your most treasured possession?

A small gold medallion which Eric (Domege, my partner and spouse) offered me for my 40^th birthday    “+qu’hier – que demain” (translated from French: “more than yesterday – less than tomorrow”).This treasured coin continues to be a good luck talisman.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My white hair – since my early 30s.

What do you most value in your friends?

Honesty and loyalty.

What is your favorite color?

Orange.

What are you most grateful for?

Sharing my life with Eric for 36 years.

What is one of your favorite quotes?

“A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

Shaving.

What would you name the autobiography of your life?

I haven’t thought about it yet.

What songs are included on the soundtrack to your life?

L’Anamour by Serge Gainsbourg, Barcelona by Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

If you could choose to stay a certain age forever, what age would it be?

50.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?

To announce the passing of a very close friend to his family.

Do you have a favorite restaurant?

At least two: Indochine in NYC and La Petite Maison in Nice.

What was the best gift you ever received?

One of them was for my 30th birthday –my portrait shot by my dear friend and mentor, the late photographer Rico Puhlmann.

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do?

To fly on a space craft.

When was the last time you were nervous?

Before Hurricane Irma hit south Florida, during mandatory evacuation from our home (on the water) in Miami Beach.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Still being here and doing what I love to do, to create eyewear.

What is your “personal motto”?

“Tomorrow is another day” and “Live, Love, Laugh & Give.”