OPTICAL SUNGLASSES STORIES COMPETITION
Tom Davies launches sunglasses design competition
Tom Davies, the British eyewear designer, has designed the glasses for the characters Cruella (played by Emma Stone) and The Baroness (played by Emma Thompson) in Disney’s forthcoming Cruella, an all-new live-action feature film about the rebellious early days of one of cinema’s most notorious – and notoriously fashionable – villains, the legendary Cruella de Vil. What began as a small project for Davies ended up with him making glasses for almost the entire cast of the film, which launches simultaneously in theatres and on Disney+ with Premier Access for a one-time additional fee on 28 May 2021.
To celebrate the film’s release this May, Davies has launched a competition for fans to design their very own pair of sunglasses. This is their chance to unleash their inner Cruella and create their own masterpiece. Designs must be bold, inspiring, colourful, and creative and the winning design will be handmade in Davies’ London factory. He will also be giving away 20 pairs of sunglasses, as seen on Cruella (played by Emma Stone) to the runner-ups.
Click the button below to enter the competition.
Cruella, set in 1970s London amidst the punk rock revolution, follows Estella (Stone), a young grifter with a flair for fashion who catches the eye of the Baroness von Hellman (Thompson), a fashion legend who is devastatingly chic and terrifyingly haute. But their relationship sets in motion a course of events and revelations that will cause Estella to embrace her wicked side and become the raucous, fashionable, and revenge-bent Cruella.
Davies was initially called in to create frames for just the Baroness. But, while researching the period, he noticed almost everyone at that time (pre-contact lenses and laser surgery) was wearing glasses. Working closely with Jenny Beavan, the film’s multiple Academy Award-winning costume designer, Davies was asked to provide glasses for nearly every cast member – a total of 120 frames. Multiple pairs were created for Stone to help track her metamorphosis from Estella to Cruella.
Davies’ factory is based in London, just 30 minutes from Shepperton Studios where Cruella was filmed. Although bespoke frames usually take up to four weeks to make, the tight deadlines resulted in Davies handmaking frames personally and delivering them just hours after the fittings. To ensure the 1970s-style reproductions were perfect, Davies created an old-fashioned acetate press to handmake the raw materials – a technique which proved so successful it is now a permanent part of his eyewear design process.
Said Davies: ‘I absolutely loved the challenge of working on Cruella, especially as I found myself on a roller coaster eyewear bonanza of making glasses for everyone. I’ve only myself to blame as I wanted the film to look as authentic as possible – and glasses were ubiquitous in 1970s London. It was such an honour to work with the legendary Jenny Beavan and the brilliant production team. I can’t wait to see the film – and all my frames – up on-screen.’
About Disney’s Cruella:
Disney’s Cruella is directed by Craig Gillespie (I Tonya) from a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, story by Aline Brosh McKenna and Kelly Marcel & Steve Zissis. It was produced by Andrew Gunn (Freaky Friday), Marc Platt (Mary Poppins Returns) and Kristin Burr (Christopher Robin), with Emma Stone, Michelle Wright, Jared LeBoff and Glenn Close serving as executive producers. Two-time Oscar®- winning costume designer Jenny Beavan (Mad Max: Fury Road, A Room with a View) creates the dazzling and imaginative costumes, which take on a life of their own.
About Tom Davies:
Tom Davies was created in London in 2002, and soon established as one of Britain’s leading bespoke eyewear brands. Davies’ prestigious handmade brand offers a full bespoke service using the highest quality materials, available from his five stores in London and through a network of optical retailers worldwide.
Cruella is the 12th Hollywood film Davies has worked on. Previous projects have included creating Clark Kent’s iconic glasses in Superman V Batman (worn by Henry Cavill), Spider- Man: Homecoming (Tom Holland), Allied (Brad Pitt), and The Tourist (Angelina Jolie). Davies’ other high-profile customers include Ed Sheeran, Victoria Beckham, and Heston Blumenthal.