The Colibris glasses of Stockelsdorf are intended for carriers with thin and narrow faces worldwide.
Milan, Paris, New York – and of course Berlin. These metropolises are associated with fashion and design. But who thinks of Stockelsdorf when we talk about the fashion of glasses? At first glance, nobody thinks so, but at the gates of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck, a glass factory established in the space of two decades and develops glasses for people with delicate faces around the world: Colibris – great glasses for small faces.
« The idea of creating my own brand of glasses was born in 1998 », tells Wolfgang Reckzeh. « The impulse was given by my wife, who could not find glasses adapted to his own face« . Susanne Reckzeh had to have noticed that the common glasses were too wide, too large and too coarse for her face and were still gliding with her narrow nose. And that, although she had access to the brands Most modern and fashionable glasses in the world – after all, Wolfgang Reckzeh is the owner of the famous Colibri optical shop in Lübeck Wahmstraße.
Liana Gräber has a flair for eyewear design and trends.
The two wearers of glasses, Wolfgang and Susanne, know by experience what makes a pair of glasses comfortable. In addition, they know craftsmanship at the fingertips, as both are passionate opticians. These two elements define the criteria that Colibris de Stockelsdorf has been defending for 20 years. « We manufacture glasses that are suitable for people with a narrow face and whose proportions are adapted. We guarantee exceptional wearing comfort, craftsmanship and stress the personality of the person wearing the glasses », explains Wolfgang Reckzeh.
Hummingbird goggles adorn faces around the world
As fashion trends are growing in cities and streets around the world, the international trade shows in Milan, Paris and New York are always a source of inspiration for future innovations. This is where we see what fashion-conscious people want as a favorite accessory for their face. A few weeks ago, Susanne and Wolfgang Reckzeh returned from MIDO, one of the most popular international ophthalmic optics trade shows in Milan. Liana Gräber is usually in the game. The young woman is an optician and has found her passion in the design of glasses. It has the meaning of future trends and translates them into spectacle frames with proportions adapted to narrow faces. It focuses on innovative materials, future fashionable colours and new shapes. « The beige, purple and khaki have the wind in stern », says Liana Gräber by observing with fascination the acetate plates from Italy which will be used in the manufacture of the new frames. « The acetate is a fascinating material for making glasses. I can mill it, polish it and create beautiful color combinations ». While the stainless steel and titanium Colibris are produced in Italy in special manufacturing facilities, according to company drawings, the acetate eyeglass prototypes are parts out of the Rudolf-Dieselstraße workshop.
The acetate is a fascinating material for making glasses. Just as a fashion designer falls in love with fabrics and, because of the material, has a new creation as an idea in his head, Liana Gräber also knows how a shimmering plate with its shrapnel and veins could appear after being worked. The first drawings reflect on the paper the impressions she brought back from Milan. The trend is towards striking glasses with expressive shapes, such as those of Cateye, but also with very popular discreet designs. Liana Gräber inspired fashion trends and interpreted them in the Colibris style. Here she looks after the golden cut of the face and takes into account the particular proportions of the face gracefully so that the glasses are perfectly adapted.
Plates become hummingbirds
The data transmitted to the computer by the glasses designer are milled from the acetate plate. And this, at different levels, with all the rounded and nasal supports. cellulose acetate, which is made from cotton, is a versatile material. It gives birth to glasses that are pleasant to the touch and comfortable to wear. « Heat makes acetate malleable »explains Liana Gräber. « That's why it can be so well adapted to face shapes ». This applies to the central part of a pair of glasses, but also to the branches of glasses that ensure a perfect hold of the glasses on narrow heads.
It is in a traditional way and according to a proven method that the transformation of the prototype matte glasses into a brilliant piece takes place: The frame of glasses is placed one after the other in drums equipped with wood particles of different sizes, where they rotate. This allows the still matte acetate to reveal its inner values. It is now that we see whether the designer of Colibris was right to choose the material of the plates and whether the designers of acetate in Italy succeeded in a trick. It is only then that Liana Gräber assembles the branches and the central and polite parts once again the mount by hand. There is no visible Colibris logo. « Our guests appreciate the elegant and striking simplicity, the Nordic design of the Colibris and their precise fit ». But this is not yet the start of serial production, far from it. It takes six months to develop a prototype, because tools and machines, hinges and screws must be adapted to each new model. A new collection of titanium glasses, in particular, requires a long preparation period. Colibri's employees and clients with different face shapes also have a say. They will test the right room and give their opinion. It is only when the sample has passed all the tests and Wolfgang Reckzeh has given his green light that the prototype will proceed to production in series.
Hummingbirds fly around the world
To convince opticians around the world of the originality of small face glasses, the salons are the perfect scene. Each year, for example, we go to the Vision Expo East in New York or at Opti, the international optical and design fair in Munich. This is where opticians from all over the world meet. « These great fairs are the best opportunity to meet, learn, exchange ideas and collaborate », knows Wolfgang Reckzeh. « We can present Colibris as brand and show that people with narrow faces should not give up fashionable eyewear ». This idea is well received. The brand of Stockelsdorf, whose idea is unique, is successful and established as a small brand exotic among others brands designers. Merchants around the world order glasses for their customers. « When you see people on the street with our glasses, it makes you very proud. »says Susanne Reckzeh.
