Will.i.am., known for donning cool shades on and off the red carpet, has joined forces with the acclaimed Chinese contemporary artists, Xu Zhen for a new collection for his optics company, ill.i*.
The optics brand, which launched in 2014, was formed as a partnership between Graz Mulcahy and will.i.am to produce avant-garde eyewear. Inspired by Xu’s series, “Turbulent”, the designers worked together to develop two exclusive patterns for the shades from the painting. Upside? The shades are sick. Downside? They are limited, very limited. Only 200 pairs are available ( 100 pairs of women’s style and 100 pairs of the men’s style) and will be sold online and in stores, Traffic and Harvey Nichols London. They are $400 per a pair. Along with producing the two prints for the shades, artist, Xu Zhen, then went back to his studio to create a sculpture inspired from the ill.i frames. He removed the lens from one pair and replaced them with unique, hand cut stones. In comment to his new collaboration, Xu Zhen said, “Everything needs creativity. Creativity gathers culture, business, and many other things into one entity.” The entire collection is incredibly thought out and impeccably designed. The exclusive shades each come with unique packaging designed by Zhen himself.
Check out the shades below.
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