ic! berlin & Bibhu Mohapatra

Modern yet traditional frames, for both men and women, with neutral tones and vibrant inserts: Bibhu Mohapatra is the world’s most loved and appreciated haute-couture designer (also by celebrities of the caliber of Michelle Obama, Jennifer Lopez and Hilary Swank) for his unique talent for combining the opposites in a fine mix of Indian design, painstaking attention to craftsmanship and western-style modernity. It is no surprise that, during the New York Fashion Week, Mohapatra decided to make his debut in the world of eyewear. Nor that he decided to do so together with innovative German brand ic! berlin, which recently joined the Marcolin portfolio.

With its precious details and German minimalism, every frame from this capsule is the result of a cocktail of art and engineering: each and every piece speaks of the fleeting beauty of haute couture, framed by the concrete sobriety of ic! berlin, an eyewear brand that is globally recognized for its unique screwless hinge design and for the use of lightweight titanium.  But this connection was not born by chance: Bibhu Mohapatra’s father, a mechanical engineer in India, worked with several German companies throughout his career. And today, decades after, this new collaboration with Berlin is, for the 50-year-old designer, a symbolic bridge between his family’s past and his professional present.

Large shield designs, small geometric shapes, colorful, ultra-lightweight and transparent eyewear as precious as lace, tinged with bright, enameled hues or subtle color gradients. The capsule collection by Bibhu Mohapatra for ic! berlin is all about an Eastern feel (and a great variety of designs). A clear aesthetic elegantly blends together with the minimalist lines and rigorous design that have always characterized the eyewear of the brand from Berlin. In other words, a collection that, in its small way, tells the (happy) story of an encounter.