The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2024 - Issue 36

Cristina Lloyd looks at Diffuser Tokyo and Monocle’s collaborative AW24 vegetable-tanned leather eyewear cases. YO X MONOCLE biteeyewear W hile working at Dita Eyewear, six years before establishing his eyewear brand Diffuser To- kyo in 2012, Masaki Hirose found the market lacked stylish, well-made accessories, par- ticularly for men. “At that time, many people around me were working with Japanese clothing brands, and I think I learned a lot from them,” he told Eyestylist online. His constant communication with people in the eyewear industry revealed they were looking for fashionable eyewear accessories which were currently unavailable. With no previous design experience but an interest in optics and fashion, the founder focused on design concepts and materials used in other types of products. “My products were based on the idea that the customer who purchases it will feel excitement and joy.” The design process started with the materials before navigating to texture, shape, and other sourcing aspects to create a style suited to everyone. Diffuser Tokyo also worked with small artisans and creators in Japan and leather specialists outside Tokyo. The brand provides eyewear cases, cords, and other accesso- ries crafted from premium materials like leather and natural fibres. Hirose aimed to infuse fashion sensibilities into eyewear accessories, moving from essential, mass-produced items to more refined, design-forward products. Diffuser Tokyo focuses on aesthetics and functionality, offering unisex and gender-fluid designs. It is a favourite among eyewear enthusiasts and stores looking for distinctive accessories that complement luxury collections. Some of its designs, such as the silk Sumo glasses cords in light blue, red, olive green, and white and brown natural tones, were influenced by Japanese culture and art. The brass metal parts are branded with small lettering like fine, handmade jewellery, making them perfect for pairing with high-quality artisan eyewear. The silver, black, or gold brass metal chains give the cords an eye-catching luxury jewellery finish from different angles. Monocle is a global media brand founded in 2007 by Cana- dian journalist Tyler Brûlé, initially launched as a high-end magazine. It expanded into various product lines, including retail, publishing, and broadcasting, focusing on global affairs, business, culture, and design. The magazine covers a spectrum of topics, from urbanism to fashion, while its stores sell carefully curated lifestyle products that reflect the brand’s functionality with aesthetic simplicity ethos. After Brûlé moved to the UK in 1989, he trained as a jour- nalist with the BBC and wrote for several British publica- tions, including The Guardian, Stern, The Sunday Times, and Vanity Fair. “I was always interested in news, not magazines, and probably thought I would end up working in news or television,” he told Start Up Guide online. However, his plans changed direction, and he launched the successful Wallpaper magazine and later established a design agency before he founded Monocle. With clothing, home goods, stationery, and travel accessories offerings, Monocle has collaborated with other high-end brands to create limited-edition collections, such as fragranc- es with Comme des Garçon, clothing with Brixton Textiles, and eyewear with Diffuser Tokyo. Thanks to their shared focus on quality and thoughtful design, Monocle and Diffus- er Tokyo collaborated to create a stylish and elegant eyewear case collection for AW24 that appeals to the discerning, fashion-conscious consumer. The eyewear cases in natural, black, or olive made from Japan’s renowned vegetable-tanned leather and sourced from Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, encompassing part of Nikko National Park, fuses durability and softness. The leath- er case is shaped over multiple days, using a water-squeezing technique before a steel core is embedded inside. Over time, the surface leather deepens in colour, leaving a rich, organic shade that sits beautifully on any surface. https://diffuser-tokyo.com/en https://monocle.com/shop Images courtesy of The Goods Agency