Designer Linda Farrow took wacky eyewear designs to the next level. Since 2003, her son, Simon together with his wife, Tracy reinvented the brand. Here, Simon Jablon tells us how and why they keep coming out with innovative eyewear.
Hi Simon; it’s nice to have this chat with you. Can you tell us a bit about the history of Linda Farrow?
Yes, surely. We started the Linda Farrow brand of luxury eyewear in 1970. We managed to attract attention earlier on itself amongst stylish Londoners as well as the international jet set crowd. Linda, my mom, was originally a fashion designer and amongst the first to treat sunglasses as a fashion accessory. She was a tireless experimenter who pioneered many shapes and styles that are still in vogue today. Her eyewear was considered unusual back then, such as her collections for Pucci, but these styles and shapes are now famous classics.
One of the reasons why we have managed to come this far is because we only work with the highest quality materials including titanium, 24K gold plating, exotic skins and leather. We are always keen to be more wacky when it comes to shape and materials and that’s what sets us apart.
That’s great. So do you only create your exclusive line of eyewear or do you also collaborate with other designers?
We produce our own line that stays true to our heritage and style while working with other designers to produce eyewear that fits their brand aesthetics. So, we do work with designers such as The Row, Oscar de la Renta, Jeremy Scott, Dries Van Noten and Prabal Gurung.
The first brand we collaborated with was Eley Kishimoto – which has an aesthetic appeal that’s completely opposite to our own. Everyone has different sides to their personalities that they can express through fashion and this is our way of doing it – by working with other brands and producing products that works for people from all walks of life.
Also, the brands we collaborate with have a large and loyal following who enjoy owning and wearing unusual eyewear. As fashion becomes creative, people welcome us pushing boundaries. We receive positive comments from designers, press and customers – and that keeps us going.
How do your customers react to your eyewear designs – whether they buy it as Linda Farrow’s styles or those of other brands?
It may be surprising but we consistently receive positive feedback on our designs. Irrespective of whether they would wear or not, customers understand and appreciate our craftsmanship and creativity. Many celebrities, like Beyonce, Rihanna, Madonna, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Adele, Anna Dello Russo, Mark Ronson and Ronnie Wood, have been spotted in our designs, which has helped our brand recall.
How easy or difficult is it to keep reinventing your designs when you are anyway creating innovative wacky eyewear all the time?
Well, rather than term it easy or difficult, I’d term it as interesting! The designers with whom we collaborate come to us with their vision and we interpret that into eyewear. We enjoy producing wacky innovative eyewear as it is satisfyingly creative and allows us to push the boundaries of eyewear fashion.
So what’s next for Linda Farrow, the brand?
We will continue working with many designers, producing and experimenting with various styles. You can bet you will always find something new coming from Linda Farrow, the brand – that’s our promise!
