Choice is a good thing. But sometimes too much choice isn’t. Overwhelmed by options, decision paralysis can kick in (like FOMO, you know it’s definitely a thing). That’s why sometimes all you want in life is the ability to make a simple decision from options that have been reduced down to the only things that matter.
The new VIU x SASKIA DIEZ eyewear collection does exactly this. A simple drop encompassing two frames in a set number of understated colorways, the collection places minimal, unified design and simplicity at its heart.
The result of a personal collaboration between the celebrated designer, Saskia Diez, and Fabrice Aeberhard, the Swiss designer who doubles as VIU’s creative head, the collection’s frames include the softer, more rounded and delicate 'ME' frame, and the sightly wider and straighter 'YOU' silhouette. Available in just three colorways of black, black faded to gray, and gold dusted, the frames are crafted from nylon fibers which gives the pieces a stable yet supple feel.
VIU x SASKIA DIEZ also brings back the classic, and arguably forgotten, eyewear accessory that is the eyeglass chain. This comes available in slender gold- or silver-plated brass, or a thicker, black anodized aluminum version.
VIU’s frames are designed in Switzerland before being crafted through 80 manual steps by a traditional, 30-year-old family business in northern Italy. All of this underscores the artisanal approach of VIU, with the VIU x SASKIA DIEZ collection not only the result of this, but also of traditional pencil and paper design processes at the very early stages of production.
Like a true draftswoman, Saskia Diez still designs using this process, from initial sketches all the way up the production cycle. The glasses themselves are directly inspired from a series of older frames Diez found while rummaging through Japanese thrift stores. While many of these older frames were bulky and a little uncomfortable to wear, they were simple and elegant and evidently designed using traditional techniques.
"Fabrice liked this idea immediately," comments Diez. "So we continued to develop the concept and translate it for modern production."
The VIU "ME" and "YOU" frames start at €175 and are available online via shopviu.com and saskia-diez.com, as well as through VIU’s network of flagship stores in Zurich, Bern, St. Gallen, Basel, Lucerne, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin.
