The Antwerp eyewear label Theo doesn't believe in coloring inside the lines. That's why Theo got in touch with the Bruges-based artist Strook. With his characteristic play of lines, he has literally made his mark on Theo’s latest collection. And incidentally, Strook is really on a roll! In December, his 'Wood & Paint' was picked by the American news site ‘The Huffington Post’ as one of the 20 most influential works of ‘street art’ in the world in 2014! Theo asked Strook to do something on the theme of ‘Antwerp’, the label's hometown.
Stefaan De Crook a.k.a. Strook and theo met each other about four years ago through the platform for young designers De Invasie. Soon afterwards, Strook had a show at the theo Gallery in Antwerp and also did a display window for theo-Somers Optiek. And then we asked ourselves: “what would happen if we made some glasses together?” There was only one way to find out…
Strook chose four elements that are representative of the city of Antwerp: 'hand-throwing', diamonds, the zoo and fashion. These four facets were the starting point. Strook: “It was very important to me that the four designs would together form a whole. That's why I worked from a single drawing and a single theme in which the four glasses fit, instead of from four separate drawings.” Strook sketches lines at random until a story begins to take shape. He works directly in pen, without any aids. Strook: “It's all about spontaneity. A drawing takes shape without me thinking about it very much. I want to be able to draw without limits.” Strook's interplay of lines captivates viewers and holds their interest. The longer you look, the more you discover.
Zoo – Diamond – Hand – Fashion Based on the drawing, theo created four pairs of glasses: a classic, vintage model (Zoo), a feminine model (Diamond), a rounded, unisex model (Hand) and an aviator style (Fashion). Each model has a little piece of the symbol of the city in the upper left-hand corner. theo designer Serge Bracké: “In order to come up with the forms for the glasses, I took my inspiration from Strook's interplay of lines. The models had been roughly sketched first, but the result was completely different!”.
Bicolour
The drawings by Strook have been chemically etched, engraving them into the metal. The lines are in the same color as the frames. Each model is available in 8 colors, both matte and glossy. The insides of the frames have been given a different, sometimes contrasting color. All of the models can also be combined with sunglasses.