Karen Walker, is a noted New Zealand fashion designer. After establishing outlets in 1995, she began selling to Barneys New York in 1998 and showed her first runway collection in 1998.
She has designed clothes worn by Björk, Sienna Miller, Natalie Portman, M.I.A., Alexa Chung, Beth Ditto, Michael Haneke, Liv Tyler, Rihanna, Claire Danes, Zooey Deschanel and Jennifer Lopez. She designed clothes worn by Kate Winslet in the Michel Gondry film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Karen Walker’s eccentrically elegant style has established a stellar international following for her ready-to-wear, eyewear, jewellery, bags and fragrance.
Karen’s signature energy and optimism define the label. Her designs cleverly play with cultural subtext, juxtaposing luxe and street, masculine and feminine, folk and utility, creating pieces that are both directional and wearable: Alexa Chung, Lorde, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Florence Welch and Lena Dunham count themselves amongst the formidable roster of celebrity fans.
Her influence has seen her consistently ranked for the past four years in The Business of Fashion’s powerhouse BoF 500, reflecting her position as a global industry figure shaping the future.
Since launching eyewear in 2005, Karen Walker’s sunglasses have become among the most recognizable on the market. They’re a favorite among both celebrities and street style stars, are sold in over 30 countries (with big-name accounts like Barneys, Harvey Nichols and Net-a-Porter) and brought in an estimated $35 million in 2014. But unlike many eyewear brands with this level of success and recognizability, Walker’s frames have no official “logo,” nor do they bare her name at the temple. Instead, they have a subtle arrow motif; and if you hadn’t noticed it
The collection of delicate, barely-there tints in sheer pink and marigold, and starkly contrasting dark smoke and gold and silver mirrors all have an off-kilter seventies discotheque chic that brings Karen Walker Eyewear into a new beauty dimension.
Karen says “For our soft tints we wanted a look that was very pared back, almost as if you’d just dusted your eyes with the lightest touch of powder.”
Karen Walker has explored negative space in 2016 with her Metals collection. Now, she brings her bold new approach to a collection of clear lenses.
All four of the Metals shapes – aviator teardrop ‘Jacques’, ‘Simone’ from ’Super Duper Strength’, ‘Marguerite’ from ‘Number One’ and ‘Emmanuel’ from ‘Moon Disco’ are available as chic-meets-eccentric clear lenses in silver, metallic blue or gold frames.
The annual Superstars range celebrates all KW eyewear styles, but reinvents them in new ways. It’s limited edition and in our view (ha), totally collectable.
This year, the range includes One Orbit, Super Duper, Harvest, Moon Disco, Cosmonaut, and Star Sailor, all with reflective gold lenses.