I want to leverage my background as an apparel buyer.

—That's quite a unique brand debut. How do you go about designing?
Watanabe Design is an illustrator who draws flat images, then adds details with a pen, adjusts them while tracing, prints them out at actual size, cuts them out, and then holds them up to the face. The design and lens colors are based on imagination and intuition.

—That's a different approach from what you'd typically expect from an eyewear designer, isn't it?
When I first started Watanabe BLANC , I was really just designing based on instinct. Gradually, I learned about frame materials, lens curves and coatings by talking with craftsmen in Sabae, but I realized that not overthinking the design would make it more like my own brand. Leveraging my background as an apparel buyer, I find it more interesting to think in a different direction than a typical eyewear professional.

—I see. Making clothes and making glasses seem like different things, don't they?
Watanabe : For example, making cell-frame glasses involves a complex process of cutting, bending, and polishing the material, but the initial step of "creating and selecting the material" is similar to making clothes. I thought starting with the material was very fashion-like.

— The fact that "only the tip of the left temple is a different color," which has become a brand icon for BLANC is also a fashion-oriented idea, isn't it?
When the decision was made to launch the Watanabe brand, I thought, "I want a brand icon that isn't ostentatious." Ideally, it should be hidden when wearing glasses. The idea of having only the tip of the left temple (arm) a different color seems simple, but when I made it, it turned out to be very good, and it looks subtly stylish even when you take them off. I would be happy if people could place them on a table or something, gaze at them idly, and think, "I'm glad I bought them."

I want you to look "good" with BLANC sunglasses.

—Eyewear, like fashion, has trends and is becoming more important year after year.
Watanabe: Certainly, there are trends like double bridges and flat lenses, but I think the wearer's mindset is very important. My goal isn't to create eyewear "just because it's trendy," but rather to create eyewear that makes the wearer feel "the fashion sense they've been looking for" when they put it on. Trends can't be ignored, but I want to create products that capture the essence of the trend rather than being a direct copy.

Sunglasses: ¥27,000 each

—In what aspects is that kind of atmosphere reflected?
The sunglasses sold at the Watanabe Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building pop-up store feature custom-ordered lens colors. The lenses are colored to a visible light transmittance of around 50% so that the eyes aren't completely obscured. The combination of a slightly thicker metal frame and semi-flat lenses prioritizes a size and color that makes the wearer think, "These are small sunglasses, but they don't look small on the face." I think they have a more fashionable feel than typical eyeglasses.

—These "hexagonal" frames also have lenses specially made for Isetan Shinjuku, right?
These sunglasses from Watanabe have a slightly quirky, 70s vibe, but they're easy to wear, and I like that they're not too small. The lens colors are orange, dark blue, and light mint, and they're made entirely of titanium. They're my favorite from this pop-up shop.


--So, do you have a message for the customers of Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building ?
Watanabe: At Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building we have many customers with a keen sense of fashion, so we're happy even if they just try our sunglasses on. But we hope that after reading this article, they'll think, "I'm going to wear my favorite outfit right now and go buy sunglasses to match." We'd be happy if BLANC eyewear could become something like a bracelet you've worn for years—something you feel sad if you forget to wear, or something you realize you're not wearing and go back home to get. We want it to be the eyewear that people love most in their outfits.

BLANC Promotion □ July 11th (Wed) - 22nd (Sun)
□ Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd Floor = International Creators
▶Click here for event details

Text: Makoto Kajii
Photo: Tatsuya Ozawa

*All prices include tax.

inquiry
Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 2nd Floor = International Creators
03-3352-1111 (main representative)