| “We are dreamers. Fantasists. Zealots of frivolity who want some glamour and elegance in our lives,” explains Gareth Townshend, one half of the new British luxury sunglasses brand Zanzan, making waves this spring. “We want our sunglasses to be a truly beautiful product; something their owners fall in love with. And that means attention to detail in every sense.” London-based co-founders and designers Townshend and Megan Trimble aimed to create an inimitable product from the outset – their sunglasses crafted by hand in a French Alpine village by artisans with three generations of experience, accompanied by embossed leather and gold-ink cases created with infinite care by leatherworkers in London. “As a designer I hold my hand up to self-indulgence!” admits Trimble, “Beautiful craftsmanship is an integral part of | French culture and our makers share our passion for the exquisite. This commitment to quality is one of the central planks of Zanzan's ethos.” This appreciation of quality is translated into every aspect of production through to the significance of the label's name; Zanzan, Townshend explains, was a word used to describe the thrill of “wearing sharp, snappy suits by the well-heeled Maltese gangsters who called the shots in 1960s Soho.” Believing sunglasses to be, “the single most transformative item we wear,” Zanzan takes inspiration from multiple sources of bohemian grandeur, from the Zazou sub-cultural style elite, dandyism and hedonism to the spirit of Motown and wild jazz, to create statement sunglasses that demand to be seen. |