“My relationship with eyewear is a story of ‘chances and choices’. From my initial background in finance, I entered the optics industry and this filled my life with emotion, relationships and a creative passion. I wanted to know as much as possible, I breathed in every experience at the fairs and enjoyed every moment with the opticians, the reps, the manufacturers, the press and the many people involved in this eyewear world. I also invested time in all the technical aspects of frame design to master the numerous and various domains of the creative side of eyewear. In parallel I continued a long lasting interest in architecture, urban design, demography and human matters, industrial design, art and fashion, a crucial part of my work and life, when I started to direct the FACE À FACE design studio 16 years ago.”
Jaulent believes that people’s attitudes to optical frames have evolved a lot over the last years. “People are starting to understand eyewear as a precious personal accessory that Limited edition ‘sensual’ Bocca design: an eyewear icon shapes your character.
Sunglasses have also become one of our key accessories. This is all a great motivation to me.
My designs are expressing this particular function: they are always thought to outline characters, they never hide the personality.”
Designer Life
PASCAL JAULENT
Design Eyewear Group
Feature Story
October 23, 2019
Pascal Jaulent is the Designer of FACE À FACE eyewear and the Chief Creative Officer and Head of Design at Design Eyewear Group.
His career as a frame designer spans nearly two decades and he has created a large number of iconic EYEWEAR such as the beautiful and iconic Bocca frames, “with irresistible legs.”
“ I love the optical world and eyewear, as this world is by its essence human and international, technical and fashion-oriented, diverse and in permanent renewal and movement.
It opened my mind and my senses to a new area of expression and kept me awake and attentive to an immense number of facts and subjects. I am curious about almost everything...”
Limited edition "sensual" Bocca design: an eyewear icon
“New ideas require enthusiasm, openness and a creative mind, courage to show something new off, to test the unexpected. I am a culture-oriented person; this influences my design work which tends to express a mix of harmony and audacious ideas, with a very conceptual and artistic approach, always with a careful consideration of many areas: creative, technical and aspects on the wearer/market.”
“My inspiration is always shared with my design teams. When the number of projects of products starts to become important, in different collections, you cannot do it all by yourself.
There is a need to share, communicate, debate, illustrate, and it is important to get the best understanding and creative collaboration with the designers involved. I am giving the directions and following the expression in detail;
I am a perfectionist. This has become all the more important since we merged FACE À FACE into Design Eyewear Group.”
\\ New image from FACE À FACE campaign
Photo by Gjon Mili of Pablo Picasso "light" painting: the concepts of the products in the new FACE A FACE collection refer to the ENERGY, here the light.
“Art is extremely important to me to keep the right level of emotion: its creative freedom influences me when I come across constraints in the market, or in techniques or costs.”
Our collections have a strong creative heritage, with very different identities, which require specific creative and developmental approaches.
It is highly stimulating to me to direct the different brands of Design Eyewear Group and renew their expression while staying true to their spirit.
Working on the Danish Design Heritage of ProDesign, we are releasing a collection which is a synthesis of elegance and technical solutions, lightness and purity of design.
\\ Model DH 4163 by ProDesign
My wife and I are fans of contemporary ballet, and we often go to the Palais de Chaillot in Paris where the Théâtre
National de la Danse is located.
Its programming is entirely devoted to creative contemporary dance.
The Palais de Chaillot is in itself an incredible testimony of the architecture
and art from the 30’s and the bonus is the unique view of the restaurant over the
Tour Eiffel, a real must prior to a show!
“In relation to excellence in craftsmanship, I wish to mention the Cristal Room Baccarat in Paris, where you can experience at the same time the exceptional mastery of the Baccarat crystal works and very refined dining. My recommendation is to visit the bar (known by connoisseurs), where drinks are served in Baccarat glasses.”
"I like craftsmanship and the exceptional intelligence and sense and taste that is achieved through working shapes with your hands".
Manufacturing frames is a superb example of this expertise, but I have an interest in
all types of artisan work.
If I have to mention one specialism in particular I would say mechanical artisanship fascinates me.
“I like colour, as this is a gift from light and life, a language of its own made of emotion and symbols. Colours speak to the soul.”
“I like fashion in general. Contrary to any superficiality, it expresses our personality,
a need for youthfulness; its creative
process is a deep and difficult mix of art
and constraints, just like architecture and eyewear.”
“A personal moment: travel, no matter the destination, makes me feel fully connected to think, and to be imaginative, or to dream....”
\\ FACE À FACE BOCCA Song 2
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