JF Rey's Ralf Kmoch and Dan Levi at Silmo 2022

Sporting new, still-to-be-patented, screwless-hinge technology, JF Rey’s new Olympus range epitomises the evolution of the company under new owners Walter Pirinoli, Dan Levi and Ralf Kmoch, said Levi at Silmo 2022. Since taking the reins of the French eyewear firm just over a year ago, the new owners have embarked on a period of evolution rather than revolution, he said, expanding the team and giving the company’s designers more responsibility and creative freedom.

The changes are evident across the new ranges, said Kmoch. “We have kept the spirit, the DNA of the brand, but we are introducing some very interesting things.” This includes the new screwless-hinge technology, which employs tension to hold together two pieces of stainless steel. It allows the temples to be unclipped easily and quickly, while providing advanced elastic capabilities, making it super flexible and comfortable, said Levi, with the benefit of stainless steel being hypoallergenic. The Olympus range also employs a new PVD (physical vapour deposition) colour-coating technique to provide a perfect colour finish, making the colours both bright and very stable, said Kmoch.

JF Rey's Olympus 2

Other innovations include unique combinations of materials and designs which weave in new, more practical technologies, such as the 3D-printed components in JF Rey’s new Odyssey collection, said Levi. “The 3D printing is functional. It’s done to produce something we couldn’t have done any other way.”

JF Rey's Odyssey 

It’s been a challenging year, but the technical evolution of the company’s frame designs means it’s also been an exciting one, he said. “We are trying to maintain the colour creativity at the core DNA of JF Rey but uncover and develop the technical capabilities our designers have and show these to the people. The combination of creativity and technical engineering we have today is fantastic.”