When Danish optometrist Poul-Jørn Lindberg discovered he required glasses himself, not having worn glasses his whole life, he wanted something ultralight and inobtrusive. But such a frame did not exist in late-1970s Århus.
What does a man do when he wants something that doesn’t exist? In this case, design it. Poul-Jørn got to work creating a new breed of eyewear. The Lindberg range has been created around his own motto: One must see the face, not the spectacles. Lindberg joined forces with architect Hans Dissing, and in the mid 1980s.
They launched AIR Titanium, the lightest frames on earth – each frame weighing as little as 2 grams.
Titanium – a rare alloy used at the time in spacecraft – was chosen for its unique properties of lightness, strength and flexibility and had to be originally imported from Boeing in the US.
Around the same time, It was discovered that titanium could be coloured and so the brand began to turn out frames in a wide range of beautiful hues.
Family business
In 1985, with Poul-Jørn’s son Henrik – architect and designer – on board, (and now at the helm) the Lindberg design house was born and since then the brand has gone on to launch concept after concept, remaining, over three decades on, at the very forefront of design and innovation.
AIR Titanium has been followed by ranges for kids, teens, sunglasses, and stunning acetate range, as well as the Precious range – featuring precious stones and metals.
The combination of the optometry and architectural strengths of father and son, make Lindberg stand out from the rest of the pack.
Why Lindberg?
So, what’s so special about these frames, you may ask. The answer? Everything!
Constructed from the lightest, strongest, most flexible titanium metal and bearing the hallmark screw-less hinge design (screw is a dirty word in the Lindberg design house), these frames are the lightest, most comfortable eyewear you will find.
Favourites of fashion-lovers from Danish Royalty to Hollywood, Lindberg is more than just comfortable eyewear. Over the past decade, the brand has moved into the luxury market, working with materials such as 18-carat gold, Argyle diamonds and buffalo horn.
This move reflects the early work on Poul-Jorn Lindberg, who experimented with gold and other precious metals.
Award winning eyewear
When AIR Titanium won the ID Prize – Denmark’s highest recognition of design – in 1989, it was obvious that these were no ordinary frames. Since then, Lindberg have gone on to receive over 50 award, including the much-coveted Red Dot Product Design Award in 2012 and the design of the century award at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Henrik Lindberg (pictured), the great innovator who is now at the helm of the Lindberg brand, is as committed to quality and excellence of design as ever. Function, fit and simplicity are the priority, even though the materials elevate the brand to the highest fashion standards.
Henrik Lindberg has been quoted as saying, ‘the design has to be so simple that you can pee it in the snow.’
Lindberg refuses to supply eyewear through behind the scenes channels or internet sellers.
It chooses instead to supply through carefully-chosen optometrist practices.
This is so the frames can be supplied with the expert service that they deserve.
