Ace & Tate is an eyewear brand selling optical glasses and sunglasses with the belief that people should be able to change their look whenever they want - but acknowledge that glasses can be expensive. This is why the brand encourages exploration of different looks and styles in regard to spectacles, but at a fair and affordable price. The brand's name is derived from cellulose acetate, which the majority of their glasses are made from.
Instead of stocking other designers' glasses, instead their concept is to design the glasses and have them manufactured using high-quality materials in-house. The in-house design team is in Amsterdam, where all Ace & Tate glasses are produced. They believe in high-quality, high standard, well-made craftsmanship of their glasses. Lenses are also of hight quality, with their standard prescription glasses having anti-reflective, anti-scratch and UV protection coating to protect the lenses and eyes of those who wear them.
In collaboration with UK-based graphic designer Anthony Burrill, Ace & Tate produced a series of statement prints which encourage people to switch-off and live in the now. Not only the messages in the prints, but the printing technique itself - a slow, and mindful process - reflects a pre-digital, offline state of mind. These prints were exhibited in the Berlin store.
Anthony Burrill is acclaimed for letterpress work, avoiding the use of cliché phrases and keeping the text short as to give the designs more impact. Anthony's inspirations come from everyday life, talking to people and his daily experiences. His work often features mantras to live by, such as his most famous piece 'Work Hard and Be Nice to People.'
The opportunity to see the work of Anthony Burrill was one I didn't want to miss out on. Although there were a limited number of prints in the store, it was great to see his works in person for the first time having admired them online for some time. The large scale typographic designs are appealing to me in their simplicity, and I often find myself wishing to make my own - which the exhibition has inspired me to consider in my future practice.
An interview with Ace & Tate and Anthony Burrill can be found here:
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