NEW YORK—State Optical Co., the American luxury eyewear brand and Creatures of the Wind, the American ready-to-wear brand have announced a first ever luxury Made-In-America sunglass collaboration.

The limited edition four-style luxury sunglass collection was unveiled at the Creatures of the Wind SS2018 runway show during New York Fashion Week and will be available at www.stateopticalco.com, in select eyewear boutiques and high-end fashion retailers spring 2018. “Part of what makes this partnership exceptionally exciting is the shared commitment of both Chicago born brands to making luxury good in the U.S.,” the company stated.


Creatures of the Wind's runway show during NYFW featuring State + COTW sunglasses. Photo by: Allan Maldonado
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Each of the STATE + COTW sunglass styles takes over 75 steps to manufacture with more than half of that being done by hand and two weeks to manufacture in State’s Chicago-based eyewear factory.

“From the day we met Chris and Shane we have been excited to work with them as partners who share STATE’s passions for creativity, design, quality and above all else, Made in America,” said STATE Optical Co. Co-Founder and CEO Scott Shapiro. “Creatures of the Wind consistently captures edgy interpretations of classic and whimsical women’s fashion. Collaborating with their team has allowed us to continue to shine a light on the craftsmanship and design work being done in the US.”

The new styles: Tripp, Monitor, Neenah and Leland are named for Chicago street that inspired designers and co-founders of Creatures of the Wind, Chris Peters and Shane Gabier. The right temple tips of the frames are etched with the Creatures of the Wind’s “C” and State Optical Co.’s 21 dot pyramid are etched on the left side of the frames. Each pair in this collaboration will be individually numbered as a mark of authenticity and exclusivity.

Additionally, Peters and Gabier were inspired by the passion for music, namely rock and roll, designing each style to not only evoke a different genre but they also include variations of iconic sun styles alongside more experimental pieces.