THE MONC BLOG

At Monc we go through a rigorous creative process when designing anything, and naturally we applied the same approach when deciding on each look.We’ve aimed to pair classic vintage styles with modern design thinking to build a selection of frames that are inspired by real creatives, and which suit the variety of face shapes around the world.

The most thrilling part of the design process is not just a finished item at the end of the recycled development and testing process; it’s the experiences leading up to that. It’s what has inspired each element of the design, how concepts have formed through learning and experience.  This is why MONC started - we have always wanted to create products that have a transparent and true story, with the hope that the things we design and make express a unique identity, that people are proud to be part of.

Over the last 18 months I have been searching for a milestone that I set myself at the beginning of this journey - to create a durable and fashionable product out of the best materials, innovative components, and made by the best people for the job. Naturally as a small studio, the costs for us were a big factor in the beginning. There is no question that we're all trying to save a quick penny here and there. But as I thought more and more about the quality vs. price conundrum I learnt (what may seem blindly obvious to most of us) that quality comes at a price. I realised I had to listen to what I've learnt as a designer from the very beginning; It takes trial and error, investigation, and rounds of development to make the best products for anyone to use or wear.

Earlier in our journey we spoke about the time it's taken to source the best materials and how all factors that go into a product define what the product stands for. The source of our Italian acetate and the 'Tortoiseshell Effect' are what the MONC design values are built on. 

Over the 18 months of research that I've done into the industry, it's products and people, the forefront of my learning has been from visiting trade shows and exhibitions. At each event brands display their products for the current and upcoming seasons. It lets buyers, sellers, press and other brands see what (your brand believes) is on trend or will make an impact for the eyes of the market and their customers.

Similar to the wrapping that masks a Christmas present, the packaging around an item brings an element of mystery to a product and contents. Even if know what's inside - there's a big difference between seeing something on a screen or through a window and actually holding it in your hands.

A huge factor of the eyewear you choose comes from the element that you will be interacting the most with - the lenses. How dark? Polarised? Flat? Colour gradient? Reflective? These are a few of the factors that come into play when you're making your choice of eyewear. That's why we are going through testing and analysis of hundreds of lenses, and comparing each colour choice of our Italian acetate to finalise a list top list of frame and lens combinations.

We believe in the traditional design process; When we design a product at MONC we want to combine the fundamentals of product design with the improvisation in fashion. Although our initial design approach is quite conceptual, we apply these fundamental design rules in the development of our products. Finally creating a functional product that's not just comfortable for the user, but also provides a new and exciting look for the wearer. 

Well....not quite. Over the past 12 months we have been searching far and wide to find the right location, factory, people, materials, and feelings that will lead us to amazing final products. For over 100 years the 'tortoise shell' effect has been synonymous with eyewear. Of course back then they would use actual tortoise shells which was despicable.

We are looking back to what we've been up to in the lead up to now. After months of research and sifting the web for the perfect eyewear manufacturers…

London Fields is very close to one of the neighbourhoods that we want to discover during our journey. The main thing we want to share is the way that creative and inspiring people live.

After sketching almost a hundred conceptual designs the stage of developing the ones you love comes into play. In current trends, there are many pairs that look the same across many different brands. Most of the time you can't identify the independent style of sunglasses or spectacles just by looking at them - let alone the maker or where they've come from.