Florentina Leitner took to the 60s and its psychedelic art to create a pair of glasses that have been stretched and liquified to a vertigo or spiralling effect. Paying tribute to the art icons of those days such as Peggy Guggenheim, the capsule is a modern reinterpretation of the avant-garde eyewear of yesteryear.
Where did your inspiration for this collection come from?
My inspiration for this collection was the feeling of vertigo but also the famous Alfred Hitchock movie, Vertigo, starring Kim Novak. She and other famous people from the 50s, like Peggy Guggenheim, were a main inspiration. Peggy Guggenheim herself had amazing sunglasses and from there, the idea of making this kind of melty, pointy sunglasses started. I worked a lot with liquifying effects which I also used in my other accessories. That was the main idea for the sunglasses.
How did you translate this idea into the sunglasses?
I started working with a lot of Photoshop effects. I wanted to have this melting effect on the face. I knew that I wanted something translucent and worked then within an existing frame of translucent sunglasses which I then like melted on the face in all kinds of different directions. I wanted to have the pink and the blue design. I chose those afterwards, like different color combinations to make it fit with the rest of my collection.
What is the significance of accessories in fashion?
Accessories are something really important. I always make bags and jewelry. I just love accessories. I think it is completing a look. Especially sunglasses give you, when you wear them, this different view. For example my pink sunglasses, they make everything pink. That’s a nice effect.
Which message do you want to share to the fashion world?
With this collection, I wanted to represent the fast life of the fashion industry, all spiraling down into a big spiral. It’s never-ending and its going faster and faster. I wanted to give the message that people should buy less fast fashion. Now especially with the Corona-crisis, it made everyone realize that the fashion industry, at the moment, is going too fast. I also used upcycling in this collection. I want to give the message of re-using materials which we already have. We can make new designs with existing sources.
