Aspesi Dips Into Eyewear With Capsule
THIRD EYE: Aspesi is dipping its toes into eyewear, embracing the category via a partnership with niche Italian brand Retrosuperfuture.
In combining both brands’ quintessentially Milanese roots, the capsule comprises two sunglass styles and a jacket.
More from WWD
Retrosuperfuture’s signature Milano sunglasses, inspired by the sleek frames of the 1950s, have been rendered in a black acetate frame with matching black lenses and a silver frame and mirror lenses versions. They both come with a quirky touch, a third eye-shaped enamel in the eyewear’s internal bridge.
Similarly, the cobranded overshirt, inspired by Aspesi’s Mod. 13 padded jacket, has been reinvented for the collaboration, rendered in a double faced nylon version crafted from a lightweight Japanese technical fabric on one side and from olive green shiny nylon on the other, the latter face bearing a hand-sewn orange patch at the back with details on the capsule collection.
“It is said that a military uniform is a symbol of a soldier’s identity, while sunglasses provide a veil of obscurity, allowing one to witness the world without revealing their true self. And yet, when a third eye is nestled within the frame of those shades, the world becomes anew — a kaleidoscope of colors, perspectives, and possibilities, waiting to be seen through a different lens,” said Lawrence Steele, creative director of Aspesi since 2021.
“In bringing together the military uniform and sunglasses, adorned with a third eye, one embodies the very essence of an adventurer — daring to unearth new outlooks while safeguarding their identity, as they wander into uncharted territories,” he added.
Hitting Retrosuperfuture’s and Aspesi’s retail channels starting Monday, the collection retails between 260 euros for sunglasses and 490 euros for the overshirt.
“Growing up in Milan in the late ‘80s, I always loved Aspesi’s ability to be so minimally essential yet so playfully fresh,” said Sean Michael Beolchini, creative director at Retrosuperfuture. “We were thrilled about working with such an iconic brand and a creative director whom we respect so much like Lawrence Steele.”
Founded in 2007 by Daniel Beckerman, Retrosuperfuture received a majority investment from Renzo Rosso’s family investment vehicle Red Circle in 2019. The brand has developed a range of collaborations over the years with high-end labels including Off-White, Paco Rabanne, APC, Carhartt and Vans. This week it ventured into gaming by forging ties with Razer, the Irvine, California-based lifestyle brand geared at the gaming community, as reported.
Best of WWD
