BAARS EYEWEAR is a brand French glasses. She started with two friends, a designer and electronic music artist from Paris and an optician from Annecy. It reflects two personalities and two complementary worlds. It is a bridge between the cultural emulation of a Capital, and the tranquillity of a life by the lake.
Aware of the quality of the environment surrounding them, the founders share and express in their daily lives the values of BAARS: simplicity and quality » In love with the product, we were convinced that we could evolve the glasses.
The hinge seemed to be an essential aspect to be improved. The creation of a new magnetic system results from the application of a design process to the product. « It took several months of research, engineering, testing and prototypes for the BAARS adventure to finally begin.
This adventure would not be possible without the participation of enthusiasts and experts who, together with the founders, wrote the history of BAARS.
» These meetings and meetings have given the project a human dimension, and it is also thanks to the association of different specialties and know-how that BAARS has become possible. »
Philosophy
Faced with contemporary complexity, hyperactivity and overconsumption, BAARS embodies simplicity and sobriety. The timeless and contemporary design of BAARS glasses is inspired by classical functionalism that transcends time, unlike programmed obsolescence. Influenced by the culture of street-wear chic, the world of BAARS is at the crossroads of Scandinavian lifestyle, Californian spirit and traditional French manufacturing.
The founders also share the values of contemporary minimalism. » There is an awareness of consuming less but better. We need to ask ourselves about our needs when making decisions in order to do it in the right way. » Thus, each pair of BAARS glasses reflects a number of life choices.
Design
BAARS aims to provide high value-added glasses based on technical innovation, timeless classic style and respect for traditions. Guillaume, the designer, was inspired by the approach » Less is more » Dieter Rams: pure, robust and simple lines. Made and assembled in Oyonnax, the peculiarity of BAARS glasses lies in their magnetic connectors to be clicked. The system has no axes and any flawless elements. This gives glasses a strong resistance to the daily tests they undergo. The more complex a system is, the less resistant it is in time. The innovation of the BAARS hinges consists of a single element, a magnet, which allows their carrier to avoid the most frequent breaks. BAARS glasses are more reliable.
We want to make better glasses. Not by adding simply aesthetic or photographic features, but rather by looking for ways to improve the lifespan of frames and how they adapt. We are guided by the 10 principles of good design of the German industrial designer Dieter Rams, a simple and timeless overview of what defines a good design. The more complex a system is, the less it can withstand tensions. The pieces break and the adjustment has to be adjusted regularly, causing inconvenience for the wearer and the optician. Inspired by TRIZ, a problem-solving technique developed by a Russian engineer in the 1980s, we observe that the natural evolution of a system is to switch from mechanics to magnetic. Just look at the rail transport systems, which started with wheels and whose fastest trains are now operating thanks to friction-free magnetic levitation technology. We know that the hinge is the part of the frame most vulnerable to breakage. So, to make better frames, we spent two years developing clickable magnetic connectors with one element – magnets – to replace the hinge. Without screws or mechanical parts, there is less risk of wear or breakage, which helps to extend the life of your glasses.
Less and better. Thanks to our innovative magnetic connectors, where other frames break, the branches of the BAARS glasses simply detach. The detachable branches also give the holder the opportunity to interchange the branches. We attach great importance to a type approach « design thinking ». We seek to understand the people we design the glasses for in order to develop empathy with our customers. Design thinking helps us to better question the problem, assumptions and implications. The focus on function also means that BAARS is guided by the object's objective rather than by trends. Our touch is discreet. The innovation at BAARS extends to the attention we pay to the shape and material of the frame and how it adapts to the wearer's face.
We maintain a close relationship with our partners and respect the environment at every stage, from design to realization. The BAARS glasses are manufactured and assembled by Lucal in Oyonnax in the Jura, center of the French moonlight industry. Lucal's team includes Christian Girard and David Rondelet, both of whom received the title of One of the Best Workers of France in 2011. Lucal's former CEO, Jean-Pierre Calamand, himself received this title in 1979. For the manufacture of our frames, we use Mazzucchelli acetate, the world's leading producer of premium cellulose acetate. Cellulose acetate is a non-oil renewable material made from cotton or wood pulp. The glasses of the BAARS sunglasses are produced by Dalloz Créations in Saint-Claude in the Jura. CR9(TM) lenses have a Category 3 colour and are also equipped with scratch-resistant, anti-reflective and dust-resistant treatments. Patented clickable magnetic connectors are manufactured exclusively for BAARS using neodymium magnets, the most powerful permanent magnet type available in commerce, by the American manufacturer Quadrant. The BAARS frame bears the label « Made in France ».
