In honor of Pride Month in June, five independent CFDA eyewear designers are uniting to launch the second annual edCFDA Pride Eyewear Initiative. The designers of Blake Kuwahara Eyewear, Christian Roth Eyewear, Krewe Eyewear, l.a.Eyeworks and Selima Optique, will each offer a limited edition sunglass design, with a portion of proceeds col- lectively benefiting the TransLatin@ Coalition. Accompanying the limited edition eye- wear designs is a dedicated lens cleaning cloth created exclusively for the initiative by New York-based artist Pedro Silva.
The “edCFDA Pride Eyewear Initiative” is an annual charitable venture driven by inde- pendent eyewear designers of the CFDA to target and highlight specific needs within the broad spectrum of the LGBTQIA+ and gender non-conforming community.
„What started out as a modest idea led to our first collective launch in June 2022 which raised nearly $50,000.00 for the LA LGBT Center. Building on that momentum and en- thusiastic reception from our retail partners and the end consumers, we hope to raise even more awareness and funds for the TransLatin@ Coalition” says Blake Kuwahara.
Collective proceeds from this year’s effort will benefit the TransLatin@ Coalition, whose members are TransLatin@ leaders from different parts of the U.S., who organize and advocate for the issues and needs of TransLatin@ individuals residing in the United States. translatinacoalition.org
“Vision and visibility must walk hand in hand to be freeing,” notes l.a.Eyeworks co- founder/designer Gai Gherardi, “and the edCFDA Pride Initiative seeks to amplify both ideas in a responsive and emphatic way.”
The designers – Blake Kuwahara (Blake Kuwahara Eyewear), Christian Roth (Christian Roth Eyewear), Gai Gherardi (l.a.Eyeworks), Selima Salaun (Selima Optique), Stirling Barrett (Krewe Eyewear) – are members of the Eyewear Designers of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (edCFDA), a working group of the CFDA that seeks to expand the understanding and presence of designer eyewear as a vital component of contemporary fashion.
