Sunglasses are typically one thing or another—luxurious or playful, demure or youthful, lavish or mischievous—but rarely are they more complicated instruments of style. Revé by René, a new sunglasses company out of Hong Kong, makes the case for that with a finely crafted, but unpredictable, ethos. Revé’s shades feature supernatural flourishes like cat ears, monster claws, and vampire teeth, but could be the perfect accessory to a garden party.
Revé by René came to America in December, after picking up buzz when Beyoncé rocked a pair for Instagram. Their first U.S. launch showed Revé’s commitment to collaboration and art; they teamed with Los Angeles-based sculptor Brian Rochefort, whose fine art “cups” have a beautifully messy hyper-glazed (they remind me of Ken Price pieces) feel to them. For the launch, Rochefort created an installation of cups and ceramic sunglasses at the Pancake Epidemic, a creative event space in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Photo by Nathanael Turner
René Chu, who was born in Iowa and schooled at Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles before starting the brand in Hong Kong in 2013, is the owner of Revé by René. She started the company, she says, when she couldn’t find a pair of sunglasses that fit her goth-y cool style. It seems like a lot of people had the same needs: since launching, Revé has been sold at notable stockists like Colette in Paris and BOONTHESHOP in Seoul; in the States, they are available at the MOCA Store at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
