Akoni

It’s easy to see how the AKARI frame’s distinctive spirit builds directly upon the lessons of the master of modern Italian design, Gio Ponti. Ponti’s genius enriched so many fields, as the incredibly prolific renaissance man oversaw the creation of several of the twentieth-century’s most iconic furniture pieces, as well as fabrics and now-classic home items. But he’s perhaps best known today for one of the most important European skyscrapers: Milan’s Pirelli Tower. That impressive tower’s masculine, mid-century vibe and its elegant, tapered lines are cleanly echoed in the Akari silhouette, with the Akoni Eyewear team celebrating Ponti’s important lessons on the importance of experimenting with framework and volume, in order to highlight the inherent strength and beauty of functional elements. Structural details are celebrated in the Akari design, with the elevated and curved browbar commanding attention as it floats above bold acetate rims. And, just as Ponti did, Akoni’s designers rely on just the perfect touch of embellishment, pressing intriguing pressed lines into titanium surfaces, and enhancing the familiar Akoni temple, with the brand’s tactile knurling surface decoration.