For the past 6 years, LOOL has made a name for itself with its consistent design philosophy, encapsuled by the motto “Less, but better.” The innovation-oriented eyewear brand doesn’t limit itself to state-of-the-art technology, though. First and foremost, it’s a fashionable designer brand. Through its latest collaboration with Japanese designer and master of intuitive design Naoto Fukasawa, LOOL is connecting its native Barcelona to the unique design-universe of Tokyo.
Ever since its founding in 2016, LOOL has pursued one goal—becoming an industry leader in eyewear technology. The Catalonian brand is particularly focused on the development of better hinges. They want nothing less than to create the best screw-less hinges in the world. This isn’t innovation for its own sake, though. It makes a larger, more important goal possible—a nearly weightless frame. To make this happen, LOOL takes inspiration from contemporary architecture and the maxim: “Beauty is Utility above all else.” With a thickness of 0.5 mm and a minimum weight of 4 grams, LOOL glasses are nothing less than a miracle of design.
LOOL’s Hub technology is what makes the screwless assembly of their glasses possible. Here, a single piece of stainless steel is bent into shape. As a result, the temples hold their shape for a lifetime and opticians get to work with frames that are easier to assemble.
To make their eyewear, LOOL relies on 11r51 stainless steel as a base material. It is flexible, corrosion and scratch resistant, and can be finished with titanium, palladium or 24 karat gold. The top-quality frames are then hand-painted in bright colors. Lastly, lenses from Carl Zeiss ensure that each LOOL model doesn’t just look good, but that the customer also sees well when looking through them.
Of course, LOOL is just as focused on fashion as it is on technology. We can see that, among other things, by their collaboration with Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa. Fukasawa isn’t just a designer, but also a publicist, pedagogue, co-director of the 21_21 Design Sight Museum and director of the Japan Folk Crafts Museum. The list of designer labels that he has worked with is particularly impressive, ranging from Artemide to Issey Miyake to Muji.
To design the collab-models for LOOL, Fukasawa is following the same design principles as he has with his other products. “Without thought” is Japanese designer‘s motto. A design shouldn’t try to improve an object, but rather to anticipate how that object would be in its natural, most basic state. According to him, the best design is one that springs from intuition and blends with the wearer’s behavior. For LOOL, that intuition is clearly defined: Built to be light.
photos RAPHAEL SCHMITZ