Cari Zalloni, creator of Cazal Eyewear: 1937-2012

"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 1937-2012

Cazal 9036: tomorrow's classics today?

Cazal is brilliant. Regardless of almost every influence, Cazal has blazed a trail doing exactly what it likes. Its frames may have caught the imagination of the hip-hop scene in the 1980s and vintage models can exchange hands for hundreds of £/$/€ but it has never stopped creating breathtaking designs, something it calls "Pure Maximalism".

This is new model for 2012: Cazal 9036. Also in black/gold and brown/gold.