Blake Kuwahara: When art meets elegance in the world of bezeling
Visual inspirations and artistic creations
We live in a very visual world where we are consciously or unconsciously influenced by our environment and peers. We are all amateur photographers and witnesses of life thanks to the cameras of our phones. In addition, thanks to Instagram, we are all artistic directors and publishers. To me, designing a collection of glasses is a bit the same. My life and my influences can often be captured in a snapshot. Art, architecture, fashion, interior design, travel and culture are all filtered through my visual sensitivity. The result is a carefully selected collection of glasses that reflects a soul, a handcrafted and tactile sensitivity. It's a fusion of art and functionality.
Blake Kuwahara's personal philosophy
According to Blake Kuwahara, glasses must highlight your personality and not replace it. They must also be pleasant to the touch while being comfortable on your face. Using laborious production techniques and meticulous handwork, an inner silhouette is wrapped in a surprisingly fresh outer shape. This harmonious fusion of two frames and the juxtaposition of contrasting shapes and colours create a modern and comfortably familiar design tension.
The brand Blake Kuwahara: the alliance of art and portability
Ethos of the brand is to offer glasses « artistic but portable ». The use of laminate construction « mounting inside a frame » is one way to achieve this objective.
The Grey Label collection represents a very different expression of this philosophy. As an optometrist, Blake Kuwahara has always been intrigued by skeletal structures. In his previous collection of KATA Eyewear glasses, he used exoskelettes (shells, scarabs) made using the same techniques as jewellers. For this new collection, he used traditional endoskeletal structures.
Each frame is cast and handmade to create subtly nuanced details. If you look closely, you can see the design of joints and bones in the tips and branches. The focus is on the touch, sensation and craftsmanship of the frames, which are important for Blake Kuwahara.
Its goal is to create something artistic but portable, a unique experience for those who love the eyewear.
An internationally renowned designer
Recognized as one of the most important designers in the field of bezeling today, Blake Kuwahara is the founder and artistic director of FOCUS GROUP WEST (FGW), a multi-disciplinary design agency based in Los Angeles that takes a holistic approach to the creation of a brands and fashion. Kuwahara launched its exclusive collection of sunglasses and eponymous optical frames in autumn 2015.
In addition to being a designer, Blake Kuwahara also holds a PhD in optometry from the UC Berkeley. He first acquired an international reputation as creator and designer of the brand exclusive KATA Eyewear. Its innovative use of engineering and production techniques to create textures and details for KATA Eyewear revolutionized the approach to eyewear design today. He has also designed eyewear collections for Coach, Converse, Lucky Brand, Rock & Republic and New York fashion designers Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Behnaz Sarafpour and John Varvatos, as well as a collection for the legendary Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori.
Recognition and influence
Blake Kuwahara's bold experimentation and innovation have earned him a great reputation in the fashion media. It was presented in Vogue, ELLE, Bazaar, GQ, In Style and Esquire, and was seen on E!, Access Hollywood, MTV and CNN. Buzz magazine has designated one of the « 100 coolest people in Los Angeles », and the magazine Detour I called « talented, with insight and an inimitable sense of style ».
Blake Kuwahara has won numerous awards for his designs, including the « Best of Category in Consumer Products » I.D. magazine and the « Silmo Gold – Special Fashion Journalists Award » awarded by a panel of French fashion journalists. He has been nominated four times for the Silmo d « KAHN ». Blake Kuwahara is also a member of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and is a founding member of the Vision Council of America (VCA) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.
Blake Kuwahara's designs are worn by many celebrities such as Questlove, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Casey Affleck, Slash and Charlize Theron, to name a few.
With his creations, Blake Kuwahara continues to push the limits of the eyewear and fashion, and his undeniable talent allows him to mark the industry with his artistic imprint.
