Concrete Sunglasses by Handre de la Rey

WORDS Mary Garner

Local architect Handre de la Rey, whose concrete sunglasses won the 2017 PPC Imaginarium Award for Industrial Design, has now made the design available to the public.

As part of his new studio 20 EIGHT, Handre has launched the world’s first commercially available concrete sunglasses, a project that was inspired by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and developed over the course of five years.

Creating the design involved 3D modelling and desktop prototyping, before the modelled prototype was optimised for 3D printing and moulding.

“To produce the sunglasses, conventional clay and resin moulding techniques are used, after which a 1 mm-long silicon skin is added around the master rim to prevent breakages,” explains Handre. “Once the cement is properly cured, the components are sanded and sealed. To assemble the frame, two concrete rims are connected to a 3D-printed bridge and interchangeable temples. Crafted out of cement, stainless steel and 3D printed metal, the sunglasses weigh only 100 grams, making them lightweight and functional.”

Only 1 000 units of the hand-numbered and individually crafted sunglasses have been manufactured, and are available in stone grey and black.

The sunglasses are on sale at GUILD in the Silo District at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, as well as via 20eight.co.za.