Continuing our LinkedIn Q&A series for 2024, we sit down with Mondottica Design Director, Sandra Battistel to discuss AW24 design details, working with Millie Bobby Brown and a preview of key SS25 eyewear styles.
How many brands do you currently design for? How do you manage to head the design on so many of Mondottica Group’s brand partnerships?
We have 15 brands at Mondottica Group and the design team work on all of our brands at any given time. Our team is made of up of six designers and a product and materials expert, all based in our London studio.
Our designers don’t just design the collections, they are colourists as well. This is quite unusual within the eyewear industry and means they choose the materials and colours for each one of the designs they create. This allows them to think about colour and material very early on when they are conceptualising each collection for our brand partners.
Could you breakdown the major fashion trends for AW24 optical and sun styles?
For sun styles, we have identified some key trends for the AW24 season such as streamlined, sport-infused wrap sunglasses. This comes directly from sport and athleisure as an influence on the luxury market and eyewear. We are looking at ways to combine sportswear further with more fashion designs.
Another trend is three-piece rimless or frameless glasses. We’ve also designed some visors and shields, with the focus being on the lens. For the more commercial brands in our portfolio, we’ve identified cat-eye shapes as being a strong AW24 sun trend.
Interestingly, we’re seeing the influence of AI generated imagery and designs on eyewear trends as well. We have identified AI as a tool to generate attractive and complex volumes that can be translated into eyewear designs. This is how we are bringing innovation into our designs at Mondottica Group.
For AW24 opticals, we are seeing bold acetate styles as the prominent trend. Metal frames are standing out particularly when they include detailed and textured surfaces and there is a strong trend for oval shapes and club master styles.
Are there any brand collection you would like to highlight for the new season?
Our latest brand partner, florence by mills, gave us the opportunity to design a collection for Gen Z. The USP of the range is product that shows off well on social media. This was in the back of our minds when we created it. It didn’t just have to fit well and look good, but features shapes, colours and materials that standout on consumer’s social media channels. Millie’s post, where she is wearing florence by mills purple glasses, shows that off perfectly.
Sustainability is an important focus for Mondottica Group, how are you integrating this into the design of new AW24 collections?
We have sustainability targets on all our products and this increases year-on-year. We research new materials that we can include in our collections. At the moment, we are looking at a sustainable lens and we are planning to include these in our future collections. We hope to start using sustainable metals.
We always look into the future and at new opportunities in this area.
It is very exciting that Mondottica Group is launching eyewear with Millie Bobby Brown’s fashion label florence by mills, what was it like working with her and how did she contribute to the design of her AW24 collection?
Millie has been involved in briefing us and signing off every design. She’s been very hands on. It has been very exciting to work with her team and we’ve enjoyed the feedback she has given.
The signature details and components in the new florence by mills collection have been designed by her and briefed to us by her. There is a signature lightning bolt on the temple tip of a design which she asked us to include in her debut AW24 collection.
The SUN25 AllSaints collection was recently shown on the catwalk at London Fashion Week, what was it working on the eyewear in the show? Was there anything produced exclusively for the showcase?
This was a brilliant collaboration. Mondottica Group and the brand felt that eyewear really complemented the look and mood for SS25. There is a particular mood at AllSaints that translated so well thanks to the choice and model casting and the gender-neutral sunglasses were the accents that completed the looks. Key SUN25 AllSaints eyewear styles include metal cat-eye shapes, very narrow acetate frames and edgier shapes, all seen throughout the catwalk shows.
Could you highlight the major trend-led product for SS25?
I would like to mention three key SS25 styles, all to be featured at the forthcoming Silmo trade show in Paris. There is a sleek thin white cat-eye pair of sunglasses from AllSaints, a metal engraved style with acetate details from Scotch & Soda and a standout Vivienne Westwood frame with pearl details.
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