All Eyes on Ryan Nix

Ksubi Eyewear designer Ryan Nix has made quite a name for himself in the industry, designing glasses for Sunshades Eyewear, where he works on brands such as Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, and Preen.

His latest collection (above) embodies the fresh and alternative feel Ksubi is renowned for, with Ryan understanding the essence of the brand that George Gorrow and Dan Single (who are no longer at the helm of Ksubi) founded in 1999. We sat down to talk glasses with him.

How large is your personal eyewear archive?

I'm a proud eyewear nerd but not a rabid collector ... You have, however, asked at the right time as I got a pair of Ksubi's new Bonde shades two weeks ago.

How did you get into designing eyewear?

After studying, I spent three years freelancing as a graphic designer/photographer and doing my best to avoid getting a real job. I steadily built up an eclectic mix of clients, one of which was Sabre, an eyewear brand with an office in my hometown (Newcastle, Australia).

It started as a casual gig laying out lookbooks and quickly evolved into a full-time position shooting ad campaigns, travelling to meet distributors and designing eyewear as well as apparel and accessory collections.

You started with Sunshades in 2013. What eyewear experience did you have before that?

I was with Sabre for four-and-a-half years before joining Sunshades.

Where do you draw inspiration from? 

I’m a massive hoarder of art books and ephemera, I have a hard drive full of saved images and love to look for hidden details in all sorts of films. I’m a big digester of culture and can find inspiration in just about anything.

I am also privileged with regular work-related travel; any spare time I get on trips is dedicated to walking around and photographing my surroundings. I find these moments are when I’m most inspired.

What have been some of your career highlights?

House of Holland Eyewear was just nominated for the Footwear & Accessories Design Award at the WGSN Global Fashion Awards. The winners aren’t announced until May but the nomination itself is a sweet little highlight.

Celebrity sightings are always nice, but I find the most rewarding thing is passing a stranger wearing a product I designed. It never gets old seeing something that began as a rough idea end up as part of someone's personal style.

How would you describe your approach to designing eyewear?

Prior to designing sunglasses I was only ever challenged to think two dimensionally. As a result my process is still very much from the perspective of a graphic designer. I usually start with a flat frame shape in mind and once that is conceived I'll think about how to transform it into a tactile three-dimensional object.

When you are designing sunglasses for other brands like HOH, Preen and Jonathan Saunders how closely do you work with the brand's designers?

We're always communicating about themes, inspirations, shapes, colours, materials, finishes — everything you could possibly imagine. It's a very collaborative process from an initial concept all the way through to the collections reaching stores.

What is your best advice for people when it comes to choosing eyewear?

The problem with making sensible decisions is that so is everyone else.

Describe the top five pairs of sunglasses in your personal collection or that you have designed and why they are significant to you.

Livia — Ksubi
Inspired by Ksubi's infamous skeleton detailing, Livia takes it to the next level, with bold metallic detailing. Livia walks the fine line between nostalgic and futuristic — this is surprisingly difficult to pull off and feels amazing when done right.

Solaria — Ksubi
A solid metal inlay is encased by acetate on a classic wayfarer shape. It immediately translated in stores and with customers. Every designer needs a best-seller in their back pocket.

Superhero — House of Holland
The aptly named Superhero combines an oversized mask shape with cutting edge bevel detailing. It's bold, it's oversized and it shouldn't be wearable — but somehow it looks amazing on everyone.

Dana — Jonathan Saunders
This chic ladies cat eye has sharp angular lines creating an architectural edge. The shape, angles and colours all work together; I think it's the most beautiful piece of eyewear I've ever designed.

Maddison — Jonathan Saunders
Maddison is an Art Deco-inspired style with rimless lenses hovering behind a wavy metal and enamel top line. This is one of the first concepts I worked on with Jonathan Saunders. The Art Deco influence is easy to see and it turned out to be arguably the most luxurious looking piece in his first eyewear collection.