ProDesign’s CENSUR eyewear has taken out the sunglass design category at the coveted SILMO d’Or awards in 2024 that also recognised Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, the latest photochromic lens from Transitions, and 3D printed eyewear that can be repaired in front of the patient.
The awards program was revealed at SILMO Paris from 20-23 September 2024, recognising the industry’s best products across 12 categories, as well as the Jury’s Special Prize. A Responsible Company Prize was added in 2023 and returned this year.
The winners were:
Sunglasses – Eyewear Designer
CENSUR, from ProDesign which has a supplier relationship with Eyes right Optical in Australia, is a result of a collaboration between Danish and French designers at Design Eyewear Group. The collection was conceived as part of an innovative in-house design initiative called DANCE (Danmark x France), where “creativity flourishes without boundaries, culminating in visionary eyewear that redefines traditional perspectives”.
“CENSUR is about breaking the mould of traditional eyewear,” said Mr Lau Ruge from Design Eyewear Group.
“We created something bold and futuristic, but also refined. The beam across the lenses was designed to evoke curiosity – it’s not just a design feature, it’s an invitation to see things differently. We’re thrilled to have won the SILMO d’Or for this design; it’s a celebration of the vision and collaboration behind CENSUR and our creative design lab DANCE.”
The CENSUR sunglasses will be available from October 2024. Available in both round and square shapes, CENSUR comes in various colour combinations. Each variation carries “the unmistakable touch of avant-garde design, inviting wearers to see the world through a different lens”.
Sunglasses – Brands and Labels
The ZILLI ZI65109 C01 frame, from Grosfilley France, features grained leather inserts on the bridge and temples, highlighted by gold titanium. The company says it is exceptionally soft and light, with integrated flex hinges for perfect adaptability.
Optical Frame – Brands and Labels
Nina Ricci SNR403 couleur 7G6, from De Rigo Vision, features oversized acetate glasses with an iconic vintage shape. In this model, past and present merge thanks to the geometric temples that balance the rounded front. The iconic ‘grosgrain motif’ is visible on the inside and the Nina Ricci lettering logo adorns the left temple.
It is available in this shaded colour variant inspired by the iconic Nina Ricci model worn by Jacqueline Kennedy.
Optical Frame – Eyewear Designer
Pierre Eyewear with its Lady model.
Technological Innovation in Eyewear
With its SAV 3D, OOmade has invented a patented 3D printing solution. It has developed a 3D software platform and provides a 3D printer, enabling a broken frame to be repaired in a few minutes, in front of the customer.
“The frames are made from bio-sourced and recyclable materials. Opticians can thus offer a premium, differentiating service. This 3D after-sales solution revolutionises the in-store customer experience,” the company said.
Technological Innovation in Eyewear – Connected Products
Ray-Ban Meta, the new generation of smart glasses born out of EssilorLuxottica’s partnership with Meta, will be enhanced with artificial intelligence as of October 2024. These glasses allow users to stay connected, capture life moments, and consume digital content while offering visual correction and protection with Ray-Ban’s iconic style, a statement said.
“Thanks to AI, they can identify what users see and assist them in their daily lives, making technology as simple as wearing glasses,” the company said.
Sport
Acuity, manufactured by Out Of, can correct an extremely wide range of visual disorders, offering unprecedented clarity of vision without sacrificing weight or field of view, the company said.
Acuity’s ophthalmic lenses are at the heart of its design. In contrast to market trends, Acuity’s ophthalmic lenses are milled from a single block of material, assuring “precise and uniform correction of visual impairment and maximum performance”.
Children
Lafont, a specialist in paediatric eyewear, presents its first model specifically designed for premature infants. Roudoudou has been developed specifically for premature babies, with dimensions and geometry adapted to their needs. The frame is injection-moulded and made from a bio-based material derived from castor oil.
“The optical and morphological challenges of pre-mature infants led us to start from scratch. The frame is intended to be worn permanently from the very first months,” the company said.
Vision
Transitions GEN S “revolutionises ophthalmic optics with the first dynamic lens that is ultra-reactive to light”. Combining protection, visual performance, and aesthetics, it adapts to all lighting conditions. Its innovative design offers optimised kinetics and darkening levels, as well as vibrant colours. Clinically validated, the company said it redefines prescription lens standards for optimal everyday wear.
Material/Equipment
Eyesoft is a pioneering French company using virtual reality and eye-tracking to offer innovative visual examination solutions. The company’s Check Lenscape is an application with two key features. It detects binocular vision disorders, assesses visual fatigue risks, and enhances accommodative performance. It also simulates lens geometries, tints, and polarised lenses.
MicroUnit’s Lona 5 was also recognised. It’s an eyewear design and manufacturing software to simplify MicroUnit for anyone without design knowledge. Lona 5 also allows users to obtain and check the manufacturing program on CNC in a simple click, without any special skills.
Low vision
VoiSee, from Accessolutions, is an innovative visual aid device for the visually impaired, designed for both near and far vision. VoiSee is an electronic monocular that is placed in front of one eye, allowing users to magnify images, read text, freeze the image, and adjust visual settings such as contrast with simple controls. Its lightweight and ultra-compact design allows for easy portability and one-handed use.
Jury’s Special Prize
The ‘MORPH alpha – Clara Besnard, from Parasite Design, is a frame made entirely of spare parts and old stock sourced from the workshops of the futuristic eyewear brand Parasite and the vintage optical shop Bidules.
“The artist and designer Clara Besnard handcrafted the MORPH1 as a tentacular system, with its main roots formed from a Parasite MORPH V01 (2003) and secondary roots made of acetate temples and fronts from the 1970s-80s,” the company said.
Responsible Company Prize
SKANS was chosen for its minimalist approach aimed at slowing down the consumption of eyewear. This includes timeless frames that are only launched when new to reduce the need for renewal, timeless packaging (often without printing) to limit the need for redesigns, identical spare parts for all models, or on-demand production to avoid overstocking.
The company also demonstrated that it takes into account the entire lifecycle of the frames, which are, for example, made from a single material (100% stainless steel, including nose pads) to maximise recycling.
Vanni, the first Italian company in the eyewear industry to become a ‘Società Benefit’ (the Italian equivalent of a Company with a Mission) in 2021, was also acknowledged.
The company has demonstrated its ability to monitor its social, environmental and societal CSR performance in terms of figures and best practices. It even goes so far as having employees rate its performance in various areas via a survey. All of Vanni’s staff have taken training modules on sustainable development and in 2023/2024, it carried out an internal reorganisation guided by an organisational psychologist to define each person’s roles and responsibilities more clearly and respond to employees’ needs.
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