August 10, 2020 |
Daisy Collingride
Damien Blottiere
Esmay Wagemans
Ikeuchi HirotoWho said sunglasses are just for blocking out the sun these days? Since launching back in 2011, Seoul-based eyewear brand Gentle Monster has consistently pushed the capabilities of what eyewear can be – crafting a unique family of frames that has garnered the attention of Fendi, Ambush and Alexander Wang – who have each collaborated with the Korean brand. Whilst fashion brands across the globe scramble to try and find ways to digitalise their products to adapt in a post-Covid world, Gentle Monster has long been a champion of virtual fashion. Yet the brand’s latest project takes us to a whole other URL stratosphere.
Enlisting the help of nine artists from across the globe, Gentle Monster has taken its on-going eyewear redefinition down an even more experimental route. Each creative was given the task of crafting a solely digital piece that completely defies what you’d typically consider eyewear. The artists have crafted a set of augmented reality filters that range from the weird and wonderful to the totally wacky. Stand-outs include Daisy Collingride’s creation which appears to be made from human skin, Esmay Wagemans ice-like goggles and the work of Ikeuchi Hirota – which looks like if Robocop had a baby with a VR headset. Who needs a silly pair of aviators when you can have all this?
