Spring 2022 Collection From Blake Kuwahara Reflects A Spirit Of Rebirth

With the resumption of international trade shows, Blake Kuwahara showcased his Spring 2022 Collection at the LOFT in New York City (March 31, 2002- April 3, 2022) and MIDO in Milan (April 30, 2022- May 2, 2022) as well as virtually on the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s on-line platform, CFDA Runway360.

The Spring 2022 Collection consists of ten (10) new styles including two (2) designs from Kuwahara’s Grey Label Collection. “After two very long years dealing with the pandemic, we are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.  This Spring Collection reflects that hopeful optimism with more color and adventurous shapes,” says Kuwahara.  His design ethos of creating eyewear that is at once artful yet wearable is evident in his signature frame-within-a-frame laminated technique and use of contrasting colors as well as his cast bone motif used in his Grey Label Collection.

Also dropping this Spring will be a limited edition of the now iconic CHAMBERS in a custom Rainbow acetate in honor of PRIDE. “I posted a rendering of the CHAMBERS in rainbow colors on Instagram to celebrate and recognize the LGBTQ Community during PRIDE Month, and it got such an overwhelming response that we decided to produce it!”, says Kuwahara.

“With the lifting of COVID-related restrictions and a pent-up demand, retail is continuing gain traction buoyed by consumer optimism,” says Richard Mewha, President of Fade To Grey, the distributing company for Blake Kuwahara Eyewear.

Kuwahara, the founder of the multi-disciplinary design agency, Focus Group West, first gained international acclaim as the creator and designer of the exclusive KATA Eyewear brand.  His groundbreaking use of engineering and production techniques together with his highly curated eye reinvented the way eyewear design is approached today.

Kuwahara’s bold experimentation and innovation have gained him a following in the fashion media and has been profiled in Vogue, ELLE, Bazaar, GQ, In Style, and Esquire and has been seen on E!, Access Hollywood, MTV, and CNN.  Buzz magazine voted Kuwahara one of the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles” and Detour magazine called him, “a gifted talent, blessed with savvy and unmistakable sense of style.”  Kuwahara was recently named by Brilliant Magazine as one of the “100 Most Important People in the Eyewear Industry”.  Kuwahara has also collaborated extensively on eyewear collections for John Varvatos, Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Behnaz Sarapfour, Hanae Mori, and Coach.

A celebrity favorite, Kuwahara’s designs are worn by Lil Nas X, Elton John, QuestLove, Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Charlize Theron, Halle Berry, Robert Downey, Jr., Will Smith, Jeremy Piven, Samuel L. Jackson, Casey Affleck, Slash, and Gwyneth Paltrow among many others.

Kuwahara is a longstanding member of the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and is a board member of the Eyewear Designers of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (edCFDA).

He has garnered a multitude of awards for his designs including “Best of Category in Consumer Products” from I.D. magazine, the 2016 “Silmo d’Or” for the “Kahn” (Blake Kuwahara Eyewear), and the “Silmo d’Or – Prix Special Journalists de Mode” from a panel of French fashion journalists (KATA Eyewear).  Kuwahara was most recently nominated for the 2020 Silmo d’Or for BK1006 from his Grey Label Collection. Visit the entire Blake Kuwahara collection on his website blakekuwahara.com.