Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster is certainly no stranger to collaborations. But it seems as though it's amping up on design partnerships with fashion houses—the most recent one featured a series with Fendi—and fashion tastemakers this year. Next up, is Gentle Monster x AMBUSH, a collaboration with Japanese jewellery and streetwear label AMBUSH.
If the brand name rings a bell, it's probably because AMBUSH has been brought to mainstream consciousness, thanks to creative director Yoon's work with Dior Men. What started out as a jewellery brand in 2008, has now expanded to include an extensive assortment of ready-to-wear across both menswear and womenswear. And with Gentle Monster x AMBUSH, it solidifies AMBUSH as one of the brands to keep an eye out for.
As part of AMBUSH's autumn/winter 2019 collection, the Gentle Monster x AMBUSH collaboration centres around 'Zip Tie'. Like the name suggests, the series adopts the instantly recognisable details of a zip tie cable in metal, on a full, clear acetate frame. The latter takes on the silhouette of a sports goggle with an oversized front and thick temples. The metallic zip tie accents are featured as hinges on the sides, as well as wrapped around the bridge of the sunglasses.
Yoon describes the series as for "everyone who want to see the world through new lenses. When you put these on, you feel different and you feel out of space"—a reference to her autumn/winter collection that took inspiration from David Bowie's The Man Who Fell to Earth film.
The Gentle Monster x AMBUSH collection is available in three different colours—blue, orange and clear white. Each pair also comes with a metal charm branded with both brand names, that can be hooked onto either side of the temple tip; a clever nod to AMBUSH's jewellery foundation.
The Gentle Monster x AMBUSH collaboration is available from 11 July 2019 on the official Gentle Monster online store as well as the official AMBUSH online store.
