It’s hip to be square in Geek Chic fashion frames.
Left: Geek Eyewear Collection. Right: Original Penguin
frames—The woman wears “The Jax” The gentleman
wears “The Seaver”.
I
t’s okay to geek out.
Everybody’s doing it,
from
celebrities
to
software business icons,
school
children
to
retirees; the eye fashion trend
today is geek chic. And that’s cool.
“More than ever eyewear is an
extension of a person’s fashion
identity and many want to wear a
frame that says something about
them as a person. ‘geek chic’
accomplishes exactly this—the
glasses are bolder, more daring,”
says Katelyn Rademacher, global
brand manager for Kenmark,
whose licensed brand Original
Penguin is regarded as one of the
industry leaders in geek eyewear.
“Instead of blending in, the
frames serve as a statement accessory,
like a hat or a great pair of shoes. I
also think consumers get a kick out
of the irony of the look—something
that used to be ‘uncool’ is now hip
and trendy, and there’s nothing
cooler than being able to pull that
off,” Rademacher said. “It also
doesn’t hurt that many celebrities
have embraced the look—Ryan
Gosling, Jennifer Aniston and
Justin Timberlake have all been
spotted rocking the geek trend.”
In fact, geek chic was the
inspiration behind Geek Eyewear®
out of Beverly Hills, California.
Founder Alena Lehrer launched
the eyewear brand with a company
manifesto that promises to
“celebrate diversity, individuality
and the creative enthusiasm of
geek culture.”
OPTICAL PRISM | OCTOBER 2013
27