Ksubi Eyewear & Kane Skennar. A Fashionable Match.

above: images from three different Ksubi eyewear campaigns, all shot by Kane Skennar

In addition to their apparel and eyewear, Australian fashion brand Ksubi combines fashion, culture, art and music. Their irreverent runway antics at Australia's Fashion Week (like releasing live rats onstage) their late night parties, published books, art installations and music events distinguish them from other fashion brands.

Known mainly for their denim apparel that appeals to celebs and hipsters alike, I find their advertising photography - specifically for their eyewear collections over the past several years- is often as compelling, if not more so, than the actual products.

Their latest eyewear collection for 2011 -- Eye, Eye -- features 11 new pairs of eyeglasses with an industrial style and fashionable appeal. And the photographs make them even more attractive.

While Ksubi eyewear and the ad campaigns are often blogged about, the unsung hero, who is rarely mentioned, is Australian photographer Kane Skennar. Close friends with the Ksubi team he shot this most recent ad campaign as well as the "Book Club" Collection of Ksubi Eyewear from the previous year and other Ksubi eyewear ad campaigns, including the notorious Dickheads campaign (shown later in this post).

2011 Ksubi Eye Eye campaign, shot by Kane Skennar in 2010:







The above campaign was styled by in-house creatives at Ksubi. The models featured are: Heidi Harrington (South African/ Australian), Rose Smith (a new model from Perth), model of the moment, Bambi, and two male models who are friends of ksubi and long-term ksubi ambassadors, Dion Antony, and 19 year old Jann Cruraszkiewicz from Melbourne making his modelling debut.

Ksubi Book Club campaign, shot by Kane Skennar in 2009:




Another Ksubi eyewear campaign, shot by Kane Skennar (year unknown):





One of their most hilarious ad campaigns for Ksubi shot by Skennar featured eyeglasses on male genitalia, turning the male member from a penis to a proboscis. These images toured as a photographic exhibition ‘Magnum Opus’, shown in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Paris. The exhibition highlighted the ‘Ksubi for dickheads’ sunglasses range, and was also be seen in LA and NY.

The 2006 Ksubi for Dickheads campaign shot by Kane Skennar:







Kane Skennar has an impressive portfolio with editorial, beauty, portraiture and more photography. See his work here.

Ksubi, who is best-known for their denim apparel, music affiliations and art installations (and sadly, for their financial troubles), was co-founded and directed by surfers Dan Single (who also goes by the name of Dangerous Dan in the Sydney based DJ six-piece "Bang Gang"), George Gorrow, Paul Wilson and Oscar Wright in 2002. Initially the brand was named Tsubi, but was sued in 2006 by Tsubo and as a result, changed their name to Ksubi.

a big thanks to Ksubi and Kane Skennar for the information and images.


Ksubi

Funky Find Of The Week: YURI Sunglasses From Mykita X Romain Kremer

High-end German eyewear company Mykita teamed up once again with irreverent men's fashion designer Romain Kremer for a very unusual (one might even say 'ugly') pair of sunglasses named The YURI in their latest 2010-2011 collection.


above photo only, courtesy of highsnobiety

The helmet-like sunglasses' appearance makes sense when you realize they are named after Cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin, the first man in space. Designed to protect your eyes as well as your brain.





Close up photos by Sonny Vandevelde
Runway photos by Shoji Fujii for Romain Kremer

all info and images courtesy of the Mykita blog

Funky Find Of The Week: Jeremy Scott's Bone Glasses For Linda Farrow

Fashion designer Jeremy Scott's funky Ivory Bone sunglasses for Linda Farrow.


Price: $265.00, buy them here.

Learn more about (and see more) Linda Farrow glasses here.

PS. It's a Jeremy Scott day! Be sure to see today's other post about Proper Attire's designer Condoms, for which Jeremy Scott created three new wild ones.

Shades Of Modern Luxury: Gold & Wood Eyewear

Paris-based Gold & Wood is yet another eyewear designer who creates high-end sunglasses and eyeglasses for the discerning luxury and design loving crowd. And, of course, a celeb clientele. Look out Luxuriator, you've got some serious competition.

Studded with genuine diamonds and/or gemstones and utilizing the finest materials such as platinum, 18k gold, horn, carbon fiber, titanium and exotic woods, their styles, craftsmanship and attention to detail is among the finest.




With many styles to choose from and different amounts of bling, their large range of bejeweled frames will leave you drooling.

But that's only one facet of their several collections. They have many lines and styles that include rimless, partial rim, sporty, oversized, colorful, monochrome, glam, subtle, not so subtle, modern, retro, wood and titanium, wood and carbon fiber and even more frames.

I'm going to share their newest and most drop dead styles with you, but be sure to visit their site when you're done reading this, because they have many other styles, too.

Starting at the tippy-top, the Prestige is their most expensive pair, with hand shaped horn temple stems, solid platinum accents and high quality diamond-studded temple hinges and bridge:


264 diamonds total
Carats: 2.59cts
Quality "brilliants" (round cut): GH/VVS
Quality "princess" (square cut): F/CLEAN

Made up of 253 brilliant cut diamonds and 11 princess cut ones, these bejeweled, platinum and horn rimless frames are said to have required all the considerable skill of a master jeweller in order to set the select stones with the greatest of care. And the price reflects it at $55,000.00 USD.

More images of The Prestige:




Obviously most can't afford the Prestige, but don't fret, they have other diamond studded frames in their Temptation and Bling-Bling collections. Some have yellow gold, white or rose gold temple stems with diamonds at both the temple hinge and the nose bridge and some just on the temple stems or hinges. Various colored shades and finely crafted horn or carbon fiber temple bars are also options. Take a look:

Bejeweled Eyewear


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As if that weren't enough, they are equally adept with other materials. Their modern wood, titanium and/ or carbon fiber glasses are stylish but unique. Some styles mix organic materials and exotic woods with metals and/or colors, creating a huge range. Here are just some of them:

Wood Eyewear






















In their own words:

At GOLD & Wood workshops, passion and time drive the hands of the artisans who craft each component, one by one, in the purest tradition of exclusive eyewear. Because everything here is handmade, it takes three days to craft a pair of temples of such remarkable quality. Taking the time to do it well: There lies the expression of the luxury.

Over the past few years, the artisans and designers at Gold & Wood creating ever-more successful models, slowly forging a different, exclusive and authentic collection. Their discreet and stylish looks, as well as the quality and nobility of the material used in Gold & Wood frames, give them their uniqueness. Such workmanship is guaranteed to excite the enthusiasm of buyers, connoisseurs and collectors everywhere.

Every set of frames bearing the Gold & Wood signature has received the most attentive care by our eyewear designers and craftsmen.

They are assembled and adjusted by hand then inspected and approved by an experienced controller. The tests performed on the frames – and particularly on the spring-hinges are a guarantee of workmanship and reliability.

See more styles at their site here.




If you have a thing for eyewear, be sure to see these posts:

• If You've Never Seen The Eyewear of Linda Farrow, You Could Use Some Glasses.

• Uber Luxe: Luxuriator's Diamond & 18k Glasses and Sunglasses