When it comes to selecting a pair of sunglasses, it pays to narrow your options – a philosophy taken by resortwear brand SMR Days and Prism in their first collaboration, which rests on just three styles, classic in design but with the flourishes of colour and texture synonymous with both London-based labels. The trio of sunglasses take their names from sun-soaked Mediterranean holiday spots.
The ’Ibiza’, for example, is a classic wayfarer-inspired style inset with vivid ’swimming pool blue lenses’, while ‘Mykonos’ is a rounder shape with a thick red frame with a subtly striped finish. The ‘St Tropez’ – befitting its namesake – is perhaps the most perennial of the styles, a classic aviator shape with tortoiseshell frames.
Each pair is made in the Treviso region of Italy and fitted with Carl Zeiss lenses, while the frames are made from bio-acetate, a material crafted without the use of crude oil and certified biodegradable.
Sun-soaked: SMR Days x Prism sunglasses collaboration
It marks the first eyewear collection from SMR Days, which was founded by fashion industry veterans Adam Shapiro, Dan May and Gautam Rajani in 2020. Grounded in their joint love of travel and driven by a pursuit to create sustainably-minded resortwear, much of the collection is made in Rajani’s native India, utilising traditional craftspeople and embroiderers, alongside a raft of environmentally-friendly materials (from bamboo flax fabric to coconut buttons). ‘Made to transcend the usual beachside attire,’ the trio describes the label.
‘SMR Days is all about providing the perfect summer travel wardrobe, so it was only natural we expand into sunglasses,’ say the brand. ‘With a continued commitment to sustainable materials and effortless style – [the sunglasses] are made from bio-acetate – we are thrilled to collaborate with Prism, who shares our core value of desirable products made ethically. The three shapes [made to be] your new summer travel companions.’
Prism was launched in 2009 by Anna Laub, a former style editor who serves as the brand’s creative director. Beginning with sunglasses, it has since expanded to encompass an array of leisure attire – including swimwear and beachwear, all made in Italy, and the more recent ‘Prism²’ 3D-knitted garments that can be used as swimwear, underwear or sportswear at once. For the last, in 2020, Prism won a Wallpaper* Design Award.
SMR Days x Prism sunglasses, £245, are available now from Mr Porter, smrdays.com and prismlondon.com