Côte du Soleil
Video courtesy of Neubau eyewear
The Austrian brand Neubau eyewear designing collections of eyeglasses and sunglasses characterized by elegant lines and captivating colors, stands out as one of the leading companies in the production of frames in bio-plastic materials, therefore of totally natural origin.
Image courtesy of Neubau eyewear (plant of castor bean)
The company has developed a process that starts from the castor plant for the production of an oil that is subsequently pulverized. This powder is deposited in different layers through a 3D printing system (precisely SLS, selective laser sintering) to form the desired shape with millimeter precision. Sintering allows through the use of heat the formation of a solid form by melting the material without reaching its liquefaction point. The material thus obtained is called natural3D and is distinguished both by its physical and aesthetic properties from the plastic materials commonly used for the production of eyeglass frames. Natural3D is in fact up to 30% lighter than acetate and has excellent durability and elasticity performance, as well as a porous surface that is interesting to the touch and pleasant to the eye.
Video courtesy of Neubau eyewear
But what really makes using SLS to manufacture eyewear stand out from other processes is the total absence of material waste. The use of this technology makes it possible to use only the powder strictly necessary during 3D printing, recovering any waste that can thus be reintroduced into the production process. Natural3D is therefore a material not only obtained from a renewable resource but which use has a significantly reduced environmental footprint compared to the use of traditional plastics.
After printing, the pigments are added to the frames through processes that can range from air brushing, to dyeing by immersion or digital printing.
For 2020 neubau eyewear wanted to combine its technological expertise in the use of sustainable materials with an elegant and trendy design. The Côte du Soleil line was born, including frames with a nostalgically 60s taste inspired by one of the iconic French films of those years, “La Piscine” by Jacques Deray.
Alain Delon in “La Piscine”
The collection recreates the sultry atmospheres of the Côte d’Azur represented by the French director through the warm tones and sinuous lines and it consists of three models whose names are a tribute to the main actors of the film: Romy Schneider, Alain Delon and Maurice Ronet. Like the edges of a swimming pool enclose the changing and reflective surface of the water, the frames of the Côte du Soleil collection enclose the changing colors of the lenses in opaque lines with calming colors.
Image courtesy of Neubau eyewear
Image courtesy of Neubau eyewear
Image courtesy of Neubau eyewear
