Sunglasses, SDS 011,

2006

Eyeglasses are quite straightforward from a technical standpoint. As long as the correct ergonomic dimensions are given, such as the width of the head, the interpupillary distance, and the nose width, their form has few constraints and tends to be oriented on the idiom and laws of fashion. “We work with tenths of a millimeter,” says Sandra Kaufmann. Kaufmann (b. 1972) trained as an industrial designer in Zurich and then worked in various design studios, including with eyewear designer Alain Mikli in Paris. After returning to Switzerland, she boldly launched her own eyewear collection. The market seemed saturated, and yet she and her business partner, the master optician Markus Dudli, managed to build a successful eyewear brand. The first collection brought out by Strada del Sole provided functional added value. Kaufmann and Dudli experimented for over a year and a half to produce sunglasses with maximum flatness. With spring tension temples, the glasses can be folded like a hair clip in two places. Closed and with the temples folded in, they are so flat that they can be carried in a back pocket. The bar above the bridge is easy to open and the lenses easy to change. Laser-cut from thin sheet metal, the rim, temples, bridge, and bar are all made in Switzerland, where numerous companies still produce precision mechanical parts for the watch industry. Since 2015, Sandra Kaufmann has worked with the artist Monika Fink to develop colored acetate frames with patented hinges and exchangeable twin-steel arms for their new label Sol Sol Ito. (Renate Menzi)