Description
The Rigards x Uma Wang UW10 (codenamed for the 10-year anniversary of Wang’s brand) was undertaken as a follow-up development of successful prior collaboration, UW1. Taking on the fil rouge that ran through Wang’s lineup (the golden age of Pompeii), Rigards zoomed in on the smallest element of the decorative arts of the Roman Empire and extrapolated it into something uncommonly inventive. The use of eco-conscious bio-acetate to create a unique side-shield was conceived as a way to invoke the inspiration of ancient mosaic glass tiles—as vivid now as they were 2000 years ago, relicts of Pompeii preserved by Vesuvius and the passage of time. Another inspiration that etched its way into the design: the magnificent stained glass windows at La Sagrada Família, conceptualized by the great Antoni Gaudi and designed and produced by artist Joan Vila- Grau. Ultimately the frame was given the nickname “The Shanghai”, in honor of an artful treasure of Wang’s base city: exquisite Old Shanghai Art Deco stained glass windows, a legacy of the once-flourishing, now forgotten Jesuit Tushanwan Orphanage and its exceptional young foundling apprentices.
The Rigards x Uma Wang RGOUW10 “The Shanghai” features:
- Natural Oxidation Colors
- Stainless Steel
- Customized Bio-Acetate Side Panels
- Hand-Applied Texture
- UV400 Polyamide Nylon Lenses
Award-winning designer Uma Wang has built a fashion brand with serene, refined garments using sumptuous fabrics and prints. Harmonizing vintage reminiscences with vernacular elements and toying with intentional imperfections, Wang’s creations are unmistakable yet curiously hard-to-place, holding an air of languid, nomadic nobility about them. Now the virtuoso shares her artistry with eyewear specialist RIGARDS for a new crossover collaboration.
By merging Wang’s signature style with RIGARDS’s inventive spirit and flair for nonconformist expression, a capsule which evocatively captures cultural poetics through materials and craftsmanship has emerged.
