Ever at the forefront of unique and cutting-edge designs, eyewear brand Lenskart has decided to tap on the talents of Southeast Asian artists for a series of bold lenses. The Cityscapes collection takes us out of the ordinary (read: basic) and challenges us to see eyewear in different, well, lenses, with daring colours and illustrations that take heed to both street art and the rich cultural heritage of four chosen cities, particularly, Singapore, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh.
Each artist gets to tell the story of their home city via two exclusive artworks that are reworked across four limited-edition frames and two cases, with hidden details spotted across the rims, temples, and even nose pads of each design. Read on as we detail the exciting choices curated by each designer.
Singapore
— Artist: Tan Zi Xi (@messymsxi)
Singapore represent! Local artist Tan Zi Xi, aka Messymsxi, is known for her creative, spontaneous works of art, and here, she pays homage to our reputation as an urban jungle / garden city with a pair of transparent light blue and purple eyeglasses. These feature leaf-shaped prints, organic shapes, and natural textures, across both the temples and temple tips; you’ll a similar print on her eyewear case as well.
Her other design, on the other hand, is an ode to Peranakan culture, with those iconic tiles appearing on the sides of thick-rimmed glasses in black or classic brown. A second eyewear case also sees a more geometric style, which showcases her versatility and contemporary point of view.
Jakarta, Indonesia
— Artist: Muchlis Fachri (@muklay)
The next couple of designs see visual artist Muchlis Fachri’s penchant for colourful street art and edgy style. His first pair of frames are clean and minimalist, somewhat unexpected, though we can’t deny their edgy vibes thanks to the combination of acetate and metal. Muklay’s symbol of floating eyeballs are spotted on the temple tips though, and represent Jakarta’s reputation as a city that never sleeps.
Then, it’s a bright and vivid takeover with his other pair of frames, where solid glossy acetate gives way to Muklay’s quirky street art style on the inside of bold temples. His eye motif features in a comic-like collage of layered fluffy clouds, imagery that’s also repeated on one of the case designs.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
— Artist: Jaemy C (@jaemyc)
As a multi-disciplinary artist, Jaemy C is often inspired to create art across various mediums such as digital illustrations, mixed media, and even oriental brush calligraphy interpreted in a modern way. His pairs of frames, therefore, adopt the same contrast in styles. A transparent one sees insects, fellow residents of Kuala Lumpur and his childhood companions, as the main subject, with garden motifs running across the sides, temple tips, and custom nose pads.
A darker pair in black features insects on the nose pads as well, while also expressing his feelings of being an introvert living in the bustling metropolis that is Kuala Lumpur, which is conveyed via white calligraphy on the sides of the frames. This nod to traditional techniques is also done on an eyeglasses case that sees Lenskart’s branding written in Jaemy C’s calligraphy style.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
— Artist: Le Thanh Tung (@tungcrazymonkey)
Veteran artist Le Thanh Tung’s known in the creative circles as Crazy Monkey — and with a name like that, he doesn’t disappoint at all, with experimental art that spans from digital illustrations to animations, video installations and kinetic automation. His frames are therefore a blend of tradition and futurism, with the first of two frames featuring five neon clouds on the temples of the eyewear, which signify good luck in Vietnamese folklore. The colours are coded as well, where purple and pink represent the vibrant neon street signs of modern Vietnam, for instance, cyan the Saigon river, and white for the colour of the Ao Dai.
A second olive green creation sees bolder temples that make room for more meaningful art; the geometric yet surreal motifs engraved on them reference everything from the famous rice terraces of Vietnam, to traditional thread embroidery that’s seeped in history and cultural heritage. As for the imaginative illustrations across his cases, these are done in neon too, as an ode to Ho Chi Minh’s neon lights against the night sky.
Lenskart Cityscapes collection, $148 for the limited-edition frames, and $28 for the eyewear cases. Available at all Lenskart outlets and online at lenskart.sg.
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