The release of the season is here! Meet Kylie - a love letter to 90s glamour, reimagined through a modern lens. With softly curved oval frames and a bold silhouette, Kylie is equal parts polished and playfully nostalgic.

Let’s go behind the scenes of how this design came to life. From the inspirations that shaped it, to the people who helped choose the final look, and our first photoshoot with a strict (emphasis on strict) budget.

The Design Process

2025 is the year the timeless oval style comes back into the eyewear top chats, and I had my heart set on designing a pair that felt both timeless and totally us. I wanted a classic 90s oval frame, but with that signature BG edge: a chunkier silhouette and three fresh, wearable colourways

Funny story, Kylie wasn’t even the only style I was working on at the time. There were actually four contenders in the running, and I genuinely couldn’t pick a winner. So we did what any indecisive designer with a tight-knit community would do: we hosted a friends-and-family try-on night. It was an unofficial focus group, complete with wine, snacks, and a LOT of opinions.

The Kylie stood out instantly. It was a unanimous favourite, which made the decision easy. Well, easier. The samples were originally in a baby pink and nude colourways but for the final colourways  we wanted to lean into the richness of winter. Think moody, luxe, and wearable.

We settled on three:

• Classic Black (you can never go wrong),

• Espresso (a warm brown swirl that feels like a hug in frame form),

• and a reddish-plum hue that was initially named Dark Burgundy... but something about it didn’t sit right.

Enter: our Inner Circle Facebook community. We gave them the first look and asked for help renaming the colour. And they delivered. Merlot was the clear winner. It screamed sophisticated, bold, and a little bit cheeky. Basically, the perfect fit.

Behind The Photoshoot

In true small business fashion, we wear a lot of hats, especially on shoot day. This year, we decided to forgo big budgets, photographers, and hired models. Instead, we leaned all the way into DIY. Between the two of us, we became creative directors, stylists, photographers, makeup artists, lighting crew, and everything in between.

We had three colours to shoot and only two of us on deck, so we roped in Jess’s friend Lilly, who was more than happy to help… only catch was, she lives in Hamilton and doesn’t drive. Naturally, we road-tripped down the night before to pick her up. Add that to the list of job titles: transportation crew.

The shoot theme was “girl on the go”, think effortlessly cool women grabbing bites on the run, wearing Kylie from morning coffee to evening sushi. It was chaotic, fun, creative and it turned out to be one of our favourite campaigns to date.

Kylie has already cemented herself as a best-seller, and honestly, we’re not surprised. She’s the kind of frame that flatters every face shape, elevates any outfit, and never feels like a trend. Just timeless, confident, everyday cool.