Fusing eyewear and Andy Warhol's art

When you take a series of whimsical ink drawings developed by one of the greatest art legends of all time and turn them into a series of eccentric eyewear - you get unique, unconventional and highly iconic pieces of fashion art.

Eclectic art-inspired sunglasses

Retrosuperfuture® has once again teamed with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for a second line of eclectic art-inspired sunglasses. This custom series (which will be on exhibition at the Hazard Gallery in Maboneng, Johannesburg, from 30 July to 27 August 2015) proposes an entirely novel approach to eyewear design.

Bringing the great artist's legacy into the 21st century, Retrosuperfuture®'s designers have explored the foundation's archives with the aim of fusing eyewear and visual arts in a unique contemporary product. "Inspired by Warhol's ability to make the ordinary extraordinary, this new collection of sunglasses is nothing less than super extraordinary," said Michael Hermann from the Andy Warhol Foundation.

Further articulating its relationship with the foundation's rich heritage, Retrosuperfuture®'s creative team has identified a series of whimsical ink drawings developed by Warhol during his early career as a famed commercial illustrator transforming them into a unique series of eccentric eyewear. Originally created by Andy Warhol in 1957 for a newspaper feature on women's eyewear, the drawings are characterised by classy female figures wearing sassy and mysterious 50s-style sunglasses.

Collectable yet wearable collection

Interpreting Warhol's original creations, Retrosuperfuture®'s designers have decided to experiment with materials, shapes and production techniques in their well known, avant-garde style, for a unique, collectable yet wearable collection. The result of their extensive research is a series of four different silhouettes that embody Andy Warhol's witty visual flair. The four designs named Babybaby, Nicolou, Velvetdarling and Ultracandy are all utterly unconventional, ironic, yet highly iconic pieces of eyewear.

"The SUPER x ANDY WARHOL ILLUSTRATED SERIES is one of our most exciting projects of the year. Retrosuperfuture®'s designers have mastered this collaboration by coming up with a range of eyewear that is truly unique, as well as the quality of production being exceptional. Limited to 100 pieces per model worldwide this range is certainly a collector's piece for eyewear enthusiasts," says Gary Sher, brand manager for Retrosuperfuture® South Africa.

Seen as a three-dimensional interpretation of Warhol's creative opus and unique philosophy of life, this extraordinary line of eyewear is the perfect reminder that just anyone can "be world famous for" at least "15 minutes". Celebs such as Lady Gaga and Juicy J have been spotted rocking The SUPER x ANDY WARHOL ILLUSTRATED SERIES.