- CollegeCentral Saint Martins
- CourseBA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation
- Graduation year2025
My Dissertation consisted of an essay, exhibition and 170 page publication, all focused on the work of seminal English eyewear designer Lawrence Jenkin and his 'Alternative Collection' for Anglo American Eyewear. Whilst perhaps lesser known than the English eyewear brands of Oliver Goldsmith and Cutler and Gross, Anglo American Eyewear produced some of the most beautiful, sculptural and experimental pieces of eyewear the industry has ever seen, truly elevating the discepline to a bonafide artform, all whilst maintaining a tongue-in-sheek mentality and, knowingly or unknowingly, utilising camp aesthetics heavily.
As someone who is privilaged enough to know Lawrence, I wanted to shine a light on his incredible work as I feel it flies under the radar in conversations about eyewear design, so I concieved of this project analysing his most iconic collection. What fascinated me most was the relationship between the ready-to-wear frames and the Alternative Collection pieces. Through my essay, I explored this relationship and used it as a case study to build out a framework for trickle-down marketing to be applied in further fashion-adjacent consumer industries, hypoethesising that the Alternative Collection was the runway or couture of Anglo American Eyewear, displaying the vision, creativity and manufacturing prowess of the company which then encouraged consumers to purchase the ready-to-wear frames. Whilst my full dissertation essay covers this relationship, as well as a more in depth analysis of the aesthetics of the designs in relation to Camp by Susan Sontag, the publication features 5 shorter essays, each of which take a look at different aspects of both the collection and Jenkins' career with a more casual, journalistic writing style as opposed to the academic writing featured in the essay.
Further, as part of this project, I conducted an interview with Jenkin, discussing the collection as well as the impact of celebrities wearing Anglo American's frames at length, all of which was published in my publication, which I designed to mimic the coffee table books often printed to sit alongside blockbuster exhibitions of fashion designers at large museums. I plan to further expand this book and print a limited run in the future, as there is a severe lack of publications focusing on the design of eyewear from an art perspective.
Special: The Alternative Collection was featured at the Bishopsgate Archive for a one-day pop-up exhibition in January 2025, and features archive material from the Bishopsgate Archive, the College of Optometrists Museum of Eyewear collection, and the personal archives of Lawrence and Rae Jenkin, as well as handmade pieces from Mila Chileman and Will Steven.
Final work
Dissertation publication excerpt: Lawrence Jenkin interview title page and first page of interview
My puublication was split up into 9 sections; an introduction, biography and curatorial statement, the interview, 5 featuring essays, a section on people wearing the frames and a section of imagery of solely the frames themselves. This page is the introduction to the interview.
Dissertation Publication excerpt: Images of the Alternative Collection frame 'Possums' as worn by Dame Edna Everage
This spread is part of the section featuring solely images of the frames from the collection, allowing the objecs and their artistry to speak for themselves. The featured frame is 'Possums,' made by bending and attaching pieces of two-tone acetate together to create the final form; a very difficult manufacturing technique displaying the complexity of the work Anglo American produced.
Display for my Dissertation Exhibition at the Bhsiopsgate Archives
My display at the bishopsgate featured frames from the Alternative and Ready-to-wear collections by Anglo American Eyewear and an Anglo American Eyewear Summer 1991 catalogue from the archives at the College of Optometrists Museum of Eyewear, as well as a frame made by myself and a frame made by friend and colleague Mila Chileman. The exhibition took visitors through 6 distinct sections: Context, Celebrity, Camp, 132, Trickle-down and Legacy.
Research and process
Lawrence Jenkin's home eyewear workshop
I took this image when interviewing Lawrence at his home in South London as a continuation of another project I completed in my second year; a zine looking at the past, present and future of England's eyewear workshops. I have a fascination with the way different makers set up their workshops and how it relates to the way in which they make eyewear, and visiting Lawrence's was a privilage.
MIDO eyewear trade show catalogue from the College of Optometrists Library
Visiting the College of Optometrists Library and archive was a key part of my research process. Seeing the way in which eyewear was advertised around the time of the Alternative Collection's inception gave me a clear insight into what Anglo American were trying to achieve with their marketing strategy and why it worked. This photograph shows the cover of the primary trade show catalogue material | referenced in my exhibition text, publication and display, including the archive reference number. A huge thank you for the College of Optometrists Museum of Eyewear curator and author of 'Cult Eyewear' Neil Handly for helping me secure this material for reference.
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Dissertation: Camp Aesthetics and Eyewear
My Dissertation consisted of an essay, exhibition and 170 page publication, all focused on the work of seminal English eyewear designer Lawrence Jenkin and his 'Alternative Collection' for Anglo American Eyewear. Whilst perhaps lesser known than the English eyewear brands of O...
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