New Zealand-born designer Karen Walker celebrates the anti-It-girl: 1930s comic book super-heroines leading double lives, the debauched prom queen who sneaks out after curfew to run with the bad crowd, Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club. Using the outsider as inspiration, Karen Walker accessories blur the lines between chic and street, luxury and non-luxury, dark and super-cute. Her collection of statement sunglasses and jewelry embodies an alternative blend of not-trying-too-hard cool.
The bright and sunny days of a St-Tropez summer are alive with activity in 1971 when a passionate fan of motor racing, Fred Prysquel, took a seat at a café terrace to watch the world go by.
Drawing inspiration from the painters on the quayside, the strolling vacationers and the buzz around Brigitte Bardot, he sketched out a design for swim shorts on a corner of his tablecloth. Combining the inspiration of the legendary St-Tropez lifestyle with his talent, the Vilebrequin swim shorts came to life. In homage to his passion for the motor car and inspired by the spiral metal staircase in his first St-Tropez shop, he named the brand after the French word for crankshaft, Vilebrequin.
Their color, design and sheer originality made them an instant success. A new style was launched, a brand was born.
Vilebrequin eyewear features hand-crafted acetate and metal frames in custom colours and combinations, as well as each pair of Vilebrequin sunglasses featuring branded Zeiss lenses. Each style features a mono, polarised or mirror lens option. Premium components such as French ComoTec Octopus™ Spring Hinges ensure long-lasting quality. Custom-designed hardware and details tell the story of the Vilebrequin brand.