Solomon Burke RIP

On October 10 2010 the world lost one of it's great voices.

Solomon Burke, the 'King of Rock'n'Soul"as he is known died in Amsterdam en route to a show he was performing that night.

He never acheived the popularity that other soul singers acheived but his output has had an influence on many great performers.

And he knew how to wear a pair of Cazals.

Vale

Kilsgaard eyewear - advanced simplicity

We are pleased to announce that Kilsgaard eyewear has just landed in our shop.

100% aluminum, contemporary and elegant. The designs speak of iconic eyewear from the past but are firmly of the current time.

we hope that you enjoy this collection as much as we do.

We love Isson

We have just received the latest collection from local (Sydney) designer Isson. It is a stunning new collection that builds on their collection from 2009.

It is a collection that takes risks with off-the-wall, but extremely flattering designs.

The collection show Catherine Federici's background in industrial design; showcasing function, fit and wearabilty whilst have that intangible emotion in the design that any wearer can relate to.

At Eyes of Claremont we think that this collection heralds a wonderful heritage for this great collection.

Congratulations Catherine, Marco and your team.

Dita the magnificent

I have been a bad boy and not posted anything recently....so accept my humble apologies.

Just thought I'd put up some nice images of Dita handcrafted frames that we have here.

These are made in Japan in a factory that has only craftsman workers. They are finding it hard in the modern world to find young Japanese who want to learn these time honoured crafts. Thus this method of manufacture may be lost to the world in the future.

At Eyes of Claremont we hope that this never happens. We believe that Dita will be a heritage product that will be referenced by many in the future.

So as the ad says "taste the future"

Mokucho-Roman Eyewear

I arrived back from my trip to Tokyo and Hong Kong two weeks ago and have had my head down working hard. So this is my first chance to update on what the story was over there.

Tokyo is a great city, a world city where so much is going on everywhere. From Harajuku to Disneyland the Japanese love to dress up a little crazy. And they do it with total authenticity.

There are so many great little shops that can give one so many great ideas to merchandise our retail space....and it is so easy to get around on their subway system. You may get the idea that I like Tokyo. You are 100% correct there.

Apart the loss to the All Blacks it was a great time in Tokyo.

I did do some work and went to IOFT (International Optical Fair Tokyo) for three days.
The major impression that I get is that we in Perth are not lacking for great eyewear and contact lens technology. Most of what was displayed was available to us in Claremont and we strive to keep on top of it all for our clientelle.

Also I was able to source from a boutique frame manufacturer in Japan an exclusive range of unique frames. Mokucho-Roman eyewear are manufactured in Sabae, Fukui Prefecture, the epicentre of quality frame manufacture in Japan. Most high quality acetate and titanium spectacle frames are manufactured in this region.

The quality of construction and material finishes are nothing short of astounding in this very small range. Some of the models have a wood grain finish and a beautiful warmth in their design.

You can now see them on our shelves next time you pass the shop. They are beautiful items and we are proud to be retailing them.

My next post will take you through our adventures through hot and steamy Hong Kong.

What Is Presbyopia?

Haven't posted since we moved to the new premises. Apologies for my tardiness.

It has been a great move and we love the new surrounds. the new Claremont Quarter will only continue to improve as the development moves on.

Promise I'll try and keep the blog posted with new and relevant information, as it comes to hand and to mind.

This is part one of an occasional series about eye conditions.

We start today with the most common eye condition which we see at Eyes of Claremont.

Presbyopia is a vision condition in which your eyes' lenses lose their flexibility. This makes it difficult for you to change focus between near, far and in-between objects.

Commonly it has been thought of as long-sightedness, unfortunately it has more to do with one's date of birth than the length of the eyeball.

If you feel as though you may be experiencing symptoms associated with presbyopia, take a moment to answer the following questions:
* Do you tend to move things further away to help you focus or read - like a menu?
* Have you experienced difficulty performing certain close-up tasks, such as reading fine print in the newspaper or threading a needle?
* Is reading not as enjoyable as it once was because you become sleepy, get headaches, or have trouble focusing?
* Do you have difficulty reading in dim light?
* Have you noticed that any of the above signs seem to get worse as the day progresses?

If the answer is “Yes” to any of these questions, you could be suffering from a condition called Presbyopia. Presbyopia affects just about everyone sooner or later, but most often occurs in your forties.

It is when your near vision begins to blur.

Progressive lenses are for people with Presbyopia; as are reading lenses and progressive near lenses. We'll deal with these options at a later posting when we deal with specific spectacle lenses.

Contact lenses are another possibilty for correction of presbyopia. Another issue I will deal with on another post.

In other Eyes of Claremont news Damon has just returned from SILMO, the annual optical fair in Paris. Where he perused the latest European spectacle frame and sunglass releases. We're looking forward to getting the new product on the shelves very soon for you.

Meanwhile I am off to Tokyo and Hong Kong international trade fairs to see what is available from the Asia Pacific region. And to see the Wallabies beat the evil empire (ie All blacks). More news on this in a few weeks.

At Long Last

It took us longer than we expected to get our great new premises open in the new Claremont Quarter.

All the pain is forgotten as we settle in to the new surroundings which we are enjoying immensely. Friday afternoons in the centre need to be experienced!

As time moves on we are adding little bits and pieces to the shop, via new frame lines and new decorations. Expect us to keep doing this as long as we are here.

The new colour scheme has been reflected in our new business stationery designed by a great graphic designer Michelle Leslie. We appreciate the help that she gave us in this regard. It is nice to collaborate with a real professional.

New frames are arriving from all over the world for us, as do the lenses that we routinley use. Munich, Thailand, France and even Perth are some places that we source the latest technology in lens material and design. We'll discuss these lens technology in greater depth in some later posts.

Damon, myself and the team look forward to welcoming to our new space soon.

The new shop is directly oppsite the new Coles Fresh Food market in Claremont Quarter.