Paolo Seminara Vintage Sunglasses

Paolo Seminara is considered along with Alan Mikli one of the greatest eyewear designers in the world. Photographer and optician in the early 70ies he started the legendary "Vogue" brand. I know Paolo personally and he always says, that back in the 60ies and 70ies eyewear was very boring, black, brown and olive. It was considered a medical instrument and not a fashion item. So he decided to give eyewear a fashion touch and founded "Vogue". Vogue sunglasses were a worldwide success and the brand soon became one of the top five brands in eyewear. 

People started to call Paolo the "king of color".
He was the first to design eyewear for top luxury fashion brands like Gherardini and Basile. Although not so popular now, these names are still among the top luxury brands with boutiques in the most exclusive locations.
Paolo doesn't only design, he also tries to inovate on materials. He was the first to introduce silk within two layers of acetate.

After he sold "Vogue" to Luxottica (Vogue is still the second most sold eyewear brand) he started a new adventure founding "Uomo" and "Nouvelle Vague". With "Nouvelle Vague" he focuses a lot on sunglasses with cat eye shapes and color. And with Uomo on elegant, traditional and masculine shapes, although they fit very well even on woman. "Uomo" is not produced anymore and you can only find Vintage "Uomo" glasses. 

Most of Paolos sunglasses are made of acetate, since he specialised in this material because acetate gives him the oppurtunity to produce sunglasses with a huge variety of colors, maintaining an elegant style.

Paolo still spends his nights thinking and dreaming about shapes and new color combinations.

I once worked with Paolo and on a trade fair in Paris an eyewear collector and conniosseur from egypt told me: "Life is a cigar, a Ferrari and a pair of Paolo Seminara."