Fashion Events

ACTIVIST EYEWEAR x ALFRED JULIUS BOW TIE & HANDKERCHIEF COLLECTION LAUNCH

New York, New York, December 7^th, 2011—For the holiday season, Activist Eyewear and Alfred Julius Bowties have joined forces to design a limited edition Bowtie and Handkerchief Set, culminating in a holiday launch party at Tina Catherine Eyewear & Opticians on Wednesday December 14^th, 2011 at 7 pm.  There will be an open bar & music, plus hors d'oeuvres provided by Brio Restaurant.

The Activist Eyewear brand stands for creative change and a life spent exploring the world.  Co-founded by creative director Mark Craig and business director Anthony Codispoti, the collection debuted in 2010 with the goal of redefining high-performance sunglasses.  They invented new technologies, such as their signature Split-Fit^TM temple design and ActiVIZm^TM Polarized Lenses, and melded them with elements of classic style for a totally new crossover product.  The entire line is designed in Brooklyn & Crafted in Japan from ultra-premium materials such as Beta-titanium, surgical stainless steel, high-density rubber and other co-molded resins.  Plus, every frame is produced in a single edition of 718 pieces per colorway, with the unique serial number laser etched on the inside of the temple & hand stamped on the outer packaging.

Alfred Julius, led by creative director Chike’ Atu, was launched in the winter of 2010. Made for a man of pride and honor, the men’s accessories line specializes in Luxury Bowties, created with fabrics ranging from Lambs Wool, Flannel Cotton, Classic Woven Silk, leather, knitted Silks, Linen, Madras Cotton, and Perforated Leathers. Recently, Alfred Julius has been seen on such stars as D’brickashaw Ferguson of the New York Jets, Tariq Trotter of the Roots, street photographer Guerre (guerrisms.com), Black Thought of the Roots, and international R&B singer Aloe Blacc.

When the designers met in August of 2011, the two made an instant connection.  With similar design aesthetics, it was almost an immediate decision that the two would collaborate on something. “When I imagine new product ideas, I envision outfitting a sort of dapper outdoorsman,” says Mark Craig of Activist.  “Our execution is a bit unorthodox, but the unique combo of style & performance, old & new, it really fits this character to a T.  So when I met Chike and saw him bringing new materials & details to a medium as classic as bowties, I knew we had a deep creative synergy.”

“I was an immediate fan of the Activist Eyewear brand. Activist is very unique with a high quality level, so it was obvious to me that I would love to do a collaboration with Mark. Once I saw the product up close, and particularly the Microfiber Handkerchiefs that come with every frame, it was clearly the perfect partner for a bow tie. We zeroed in on a theme of combining classis style, with high performance materials to produce the collaboration set,” adds Alfred Julius’ Chike Atu.

The result of the collaboration is a matching Bowtie & Handkerchief Set, made in a very limited edition of 50 pieces worldwide.  It will be sold in custom designed Activist Eyewear x Alfred Julius packaging which includes a brief description of the collaboration, as well as an ink stamp with the number the customer has received out of the 50.

Starting December 15^th, the set will be available exclusively in New York City at Tina Catherine Eyewear & Opticians Boutique, as well as on ActivistEyewear.com.