Karen Walker Launches Made Up Eyewear

New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker is using eyewear to bring her version of “eye shadow” to market through her new collection of sunglasses, Women’s Wear Daily reports.

“We wanted to play with the idea of going from eyewear to a beauty product … It gives the impression of a dusting of an eye shadow over the eyes … rather than pale frames,” Walker said of the new Karen Walker Eyeshadow collection. She removed the rims from the glasses and made the lens colours “really soft and pared back” to create an illusion of makeup.

A collection of three silhouettes – a round, an aviator and a modern cat eye – are Walker’s answer to “makeup for your eyes” or “winter sunglasses” (because they “cut the glare” but are not dark enough to block from strong sun).

Walker said she thinks about these glasses as the new “essential tool in your makeup kit.”

These are just the latest sunglasses from Walker, who sees meaningful business coming from the eyewear category. Currently, about a third of her sales come from eyewear.

“People wear sunglasses, yes to protect their eyes from the sun, but it’s so much more than that now. It’s about making a statement and completing the look. Sometimes you want to just wear eyewear because it looks awesome with your outfit,” Walker said. “Sheer lenses and more transitional lenses-can actually become a fashion statement indoors and outdoors.”

Original article by Rachel Strugatz, Women’s Wear Daily, April 5, 2017.

Photo by Derek Henderson.