Richard Nicoll to launch his own eyewear line

ksubi x richard nicoll SS08/hintmag

Over the past five years, London-based, Aussie-raised fashion star Richard Nicoll whet the appetite of the sunglasses-buying public with two tantalising, limited edition eyewear ranges designed in tandem with his mates at cult Sydney denim and streetwear brand Ksubi - most recently for Spring/Summer 2012. Earlier this week in Sydney, he told frockwriter he is about to launch his own line.

The eyes have it: Ksubi's 2011 eyewear campaign

Given that Ksubi resurrected itself from the ashes of liquidation earlier this year, bought by a consortium for $5million after collapsing under a $9million debt burden, you have to wonder if the metal eagle on the ‘elnath’ aviators in the brand’s new 'eye eye' eyewear range is a wink from co-founders Dan Single and George Gorrow. Either way, good to see Ksubi moving forward. The campaign was shot by Kane Skennar and stars Heidi Harrington, Rosemary Smith, Dion Antony, Jann Cruraszkiewicz and model-of-the-moment (and Single squeeze) Bambi Northwood-Blyth. See below for the entire campaign. And frockwriter’s Posterous for some behind-the-scenes shots. At A$289-329 a pop, they sure beat premium jeans. Available next month at David Jones, General Pants and Ksubi’s stores – including the relocated Paddington boutique at 140 Oxford Street (formerly Kit Cosmetics) and from mid October, Ksubi's new store in the new Westfield Sydney. 

Allan Powell, fashionisto

karen walker via mintshop.com.au


Designers the world over love to spruik the names of celebs who wear their clothes. Just how much of that is the result of PR, paid product placement or of course ‘gifting - the means via which fashion companies get their products seen on opinion leaders via freebies – is frequently very hard to gauge. But here is one example of designer fandom that has nothing to do with any spin or graft. On Saturday night I attended a quite memorable birthday party in Melbourne for a very dear friend (Randal Marsh). Of the plethora of other architects and artistes in attendance, I was seated next to Allan Powell.

Powell is a distinguished Melbourne architect whose award-winning oeuvre includes Monash University’s Performing Arts Precinct, The TAFE School of Design at RMIT, The TarraWarra Museum of Art and a slew of high profile residential and restaurant projects, from Crigan House to The Prince of Wales Hotel, The Albert Park Hotel, Caffé Maximus, Café di Stasio and DiStasio Vineyard.

As it turns out, Powell is quite the fashionisto as well. And I don’t mean that he was wearing a Dior Homme suit (as was Melbourne galeriste, Murray White). Powell’s sartorial style - at least as observed by frockwriter on Saturday evening - could be described as old-school elegance. In other words he was wearing a classic, conservative men’s suit.

Imagine my surprise then, when, during our dinner chit-chat, Powell recounted with some enthusiasm how he had recently spotted an image of a particular pair of Karen Walker sunglasses - and became so enamoured with the product, he hunted down a stockist to snap up a pair for himself. I got the impression that this process had taken quite some time. The sunglasses boasted pink frames in what Powell described as a “Wayfarer” style.

Although Walker has made a few different styles of sunglasses with pink frames, frockwriter understands that only the Deep Freeze style, which does include a “milky pink” colourway, has a Wayfarer look (pictured above).

Sadly Powell’s Karen Walker love affair ended all too abruptly.

Shortly after the glasses were delivered, the sunglasses were snaffled up by Powell’s 20 year-old son Hugo - who is studying architecture.

“I just loved them” noted Powell, wistfully.