Thursday 5 July 2012

Cari Zalloni, creator of Cazal Eyewear: 1937-2012

Cari Zalloni, creator of Cazal Eyewear: 1937-2012. Photo: Blende11


"A designer eyewear line that pleases everybody is unlikely to inspire.
Good design must be thought-provoking."


...So said Cari Zalloni, the man behind Cazal, who passed away this week. Having launched Cazal in 1975, Zalloni never wavered in his quest to create "maximalist" eyewear. Adored by the hip-hop scene in the 1980s, Cazal remains one of the most iconic eyewear brands in the world and certainly one of the most revered. Vintage Cazals are arguably at the very core of the collectible eyewear market, with some original models frequently fetching four-figure sums.


I first met him in 2001 in Paris where he encouraged Rory and me to pose for our own "Clothe your Eyes" 'advert'. The resultant ad is below and the smiles on our faces, I remember, were largely down to Cari, a genuinely kind and inspirational man; a lot of fun to be around.

Cari Zalloni will be hugely missed - by his colleagues at Cazal, by the glasses industry at large, and by all the fans of his wonderful frames, a few of which we present below...




Cari Zalloni, creator of Cazal Eyewear: 1937-2012. Photo: Blende11
Cari Zalloni 1937-2012

7 comments:

  1. He was one of the greatest eyewear designers ever existed. Cazal has become a total reference when it comes to eyewear design. Thank you Mr. Zalloni for all your work,  you have already reached immortality!

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  2. I came to your blog first time, really like your article and look forward to updates soon.

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  3. Mr.Zalloni  is one of  the designer that  I like most.Thank you for  what you  have  done.

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  4. Very nice collection of sunglasses..... :)
    Thanks for providing different type of sunglasses.

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  5. Hello everyone! Trying to see if cazal and caviar are same thing or where both made by Mr.Cari?

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