One is the eyewear brand that has made eyewear history for generations. The other is a monument of design that defies times and trends. Both are Italian. We are talking about Persol and Cassina, two institutional brands, two pillars of Made in Italy from whose encounter an exclusive capsule collection was born, expressing all the fundamentals of the DNA of two excellences: craftsmanship, avant-garde, style, culture, a living dialogue between past and present.
The collaboration interprets the aesthetic codes of the two brands, in which detail and material become undisputed protagonists. The Persol Cassina eyewear is articulated in two limited-edition proposals: the first in the iconic black and havana colors; the second, in a limited run of only 500 numbered pieces, presents the eyewear in an elegant gradient blue shade, a nuance deeply rooted in the history of Persol, paired with a pocket emptier designed by Patricia Urquiola, Cassina’s designer and art director. The choice of acetate as a material, with its shades and streaks, represents a perfect compromise between aesthetics and structure: the material returns intense yet light colors, enhancing its sculptural dimension. The Cassina logo is echoed inside each rod, but also on the case and box.
In this project, the emptying tray, designed to hold the eyeglass and other small objects, represents a symbolic element of the collaboration thanks to its shape, inspired by a seal that seals the meeting between the two brands and enhances and reinforces their shared principles. A pivotal element in the development of this refined piece of furniture was also the careful material research: the object is made with recycled materials, such as fragments of leather from Cassina’s workings and pieces of Persol acetate, joined thanks to a new-generation cement base composed of 90 percent aggregate minerals, recovered from the production waste of large quarries. The result? Unique. Each piece celebrates a passion for materials, technical knowledge and attention to detail.
But this collaboration also represents a significant window into Cassina’s historical archive, a heritage of inestimable value. In fact, the inspiration behind the eyewear model stems from the study of the Italian brand’s archive and in-depth observation of the great authors of design, which has enabled the translation of emblematic shapes into the language of eyewear through research on the three-dimensional processing of materials. A series of details linked to the historical memory of the brand is taken up in eyewear, such as the milled surfaces found along the line of the bridge and temples, creating a distinctive sign capable of combining design rigor and aesthetic refinement.
This dialogue between memory and design is also told through dedicated packaging. Its aesthetics are inspired by the Cassina archive folders kept in Meda. A recall that transforms the object into a small fragment of a contemporary archive, capable of celebrating the design heritage as well as the tradition of Cassina. A convergence of visions and languages, in which design becomes a common ground on which to build a tale of Italian elegance and craftsmanship destined to last.
[đź“·Courtesy of Persol]
