A LOST ICON GETS ANOTHER LOOK
In the 1980s, when glasses were unhip medical devices and all-American Aviators sold at drug stores for twenty bucks, the fashion designer Mitsuro Matsuda was handcrafting chic, avant-garde and precisely engineered eyewear that would become one of the most desirable luxury brands on the market: Matsuda. After losing its distributor in America, followed by the death of the brand’s eponymous creator, those rare Matsuda frames and sunglasses became an obsession among collectors and aficionados. If you wanted a pair, you had to scour the internet.
Recently, the online store Wittmore announced their latest shop takeover featuring a custom sunglass boutique from MATSUDA, now open through September in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles. Earlier this month At Large Magazine co-hosted an event with Wittmore founder Paul C. Witt to celebrate the opening of the space, which includes a historical retrospective and curated assortment of new and heritage designs, and is the first retail expression from the Matsuda brand in fifteen years.
