Mykita & Moncler: the best winter sunglasses for 2012?

Sorry for the lack of posts – have been away and then Christmas kind of took over. Trust everyone's had a cracking time and you've received all the goodies you wanted!

A week or so before Christmas we were lucky enough to go to Berlin and as any eyewear blogger worth his salt would do, I cheekily invited myself to see some of my favourite glasses being made at the Mykita Haus. The lovely folk at Mykita obliged and made me feel very welcome as I toured around the five-storey building right in the heart of the city.

My visit came shortly after Mykita and high-end winter sportswear designer Moncler launched their winter sunglass collaboration, the fruits of which you can see here (hover over images for product names). You will remember me raving about Mykita's Mylon frame material used in this collection before.

So I was lucky enough to see a few of these models in production; indeed I had a proper tour of the Haus, from the ground floor where collection No.1 is made all the way to the fifth floor. I saw how the sheets with the fronts and temples cut into them were bent and shaped to create the well known Mykita frames frequently featured on EWG.

Suffice to say, like every one of the hundreds of spectacles that are made each day, the Mykita Haus does not disappoint. It seems like a great place to work. Extreme care is taken with every pair of specs to ensure they all come up to the quality you expect of Mykita. This video gives an idea of how the Mykita Moncler sunglasses are put together, and the subsequent one showcases the Mykita & Moncler collection some more.

And below that I explain why these are the best winter sunnies for 2012...




So now you're a little familiar with how they were made and what they look like, as if that's not enough,  I will explain why these are so good. They are made of Mylon, a nylon material which is formed through 3D printing. This is cutting-edge stuff. It can create shapes hitherto only dreamed of. And it is a material that ticks all the boxes good eyewear needs ticking: it's light, durable, hypoallergenic, and individually adjustable.

The two frames, Achille and Lino, come in red, blue or black, with matching flash mirrored lenses or with grey tinted lenses. Either way the lenses are glass and are made by Barberini. They have an anti-fog finish on the inside of the lenses plus an anti-scratch outer coating.

But crucially, they're sporty without compromising on style. They're suitable both for downhill runs and for everyday use.

The glasses come in a padded sleeping bag styled pouch and a black glasses case. They are only available in Mykita and Moncler shops.