French Eyewear par excellence
Insatiable, demanding, stylish: These are only three of the most significant characteristics of Nathalie Blanc and her eponymous eyewear label. The company founder and namesake is a strong women who achieves a perfect symbiosis of refined taste, elegance and attitude. Plus, she manages to distill all of these qualities into the design of her creative eyewear styles. In our SPECTR interview, Nathalie Blanc allows a glimpse into her 100-percent French eyewear brand that designs all models in her Paris workshop and manufactures by hand in the Jura and Normandy regions. Welcome to NATHALIE BLANC eyewear.
Dear Nathalie, when did you discover your love for eyewear?
When I was 10 years old, after I started wearing glasses. It was mostly hatred at first, until I started creating. Then it became a true love story.
How did you get into glasses design? (the whole history in the eyewear industry please)
I was an optician for 20 years.
What kinds of values does Nathalie Blanc stand for?
In 2014, clothing designers Michel Klein and Swildens asked me to design their eyewear collections. I loved creating so much that I founded my own brand. A year later Nathalie Blanc Paris was born. My brand stands for Made in France, Parisian Chic, purity, elegance, the study of colors and simplicity of shapes. The hardest part is to keep it simple.
Simplicity and Parisian chic? How does it fit together?
These two adjectives are what define the Parisian woman.
What influence does the city have on your work?
Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. As an interior designer, the Parisian architecture is an infinite source of inspiration. It allows me to innovate, while keeping my Parisian touch.
Speaking of hardest parts, all beginnings are difficult. Which obstacles did you have to overcome before your market launch in 2015?
The French market is very competitive. This comes on top of the insurance and health care coverage issues. The greatest challenges were the entrepreneurial and managerial parts. I believe that if I had a business school degree, I could have been stronger.
That would’ve hurt your creative streak, wouldn’t it?
You are right. My career would have not been the same and I would not have had the opportunity to go back to design.
Do you have a specific target group in mind when creating NATHALIE BLANC eyewear?
My frames are pure and simple, the collection aims at all age groups. It is aimed at chic and sophisticated men and women.
How many people are you working with on the glasses designs?
2 young designers who bring me fresh inspiration.
What inspires you and your collections the most?
Personally, I am inspired by design, trends, colors, fashion and decoration. What inspires my collections is working around the colors.
Which colours will we find most often in your current collection?
Nude, black turtoise, champagne, green, dark blue.
Another question regarding your source of inspiration: Your frames have female or male names depending on the model. Do you have a personal reference to these names?
Yes, they are my loved ones who surround me.
What kinds of materials do you prefer to work with?
I love working with 22-carat gold cladding and acetates.
What exactly do you like about the materials?
The nobility. My Mazzuchelli acetates are the most beautiful in the world, most of them are custom made. Their quality is fabulous.
There has already been a collaboration with MOREL. Would you like to give us a glimpse behind the scenes and tell us what kind of exciting collaborations we can expect in the near future?
Amelie Morel came to me to freshen up the traditional brand image of MOREL. I was thrilled to be able to collaborate with such a renowned brand that has been producing quality frames for so long. This collab was based on cheerfulness, joy and sharing. I am very proud of all the models that came out of this collection.
What is different about the models from this collaboration?
We took my iconic models and dressed them up with the Morel know-how by inserting thin acetates. Also, the manufacturing is not the same.
And finally, please tell us which NATHALIE BLANC model every woman with style should own.
That’s very easy to answer. My timeless models, the »Jennifer« and the »Lolita«!
And why?
They fit all the women and they are perfectly designed. Just try them on and you will understand!
Thank you Nathalie!
Find out more here: www.nathalieblancparis.com/
Want to see more models of the brand Nathalie Blanc? Go check out our new Platform FAVR now and find the right pair.