Blake Kuwahara

Blake Kuwahara designs eyewear the way an artist builds a piece to be lived with, not just looked at. A doctor of optometry from UC Berkeley who founded the LA-based design studio Focus Group West and helped bring KATA Eyewear to the international stage, Kuwahara built his eponymous collection in 2015 on a simple belief: glasses should enhance your personality, never substitute for one.

Each frame carries a soulful, tactile quality, drawing on art, architecture, fashion, and travel. His signature technique laminates "a frame within a frame," pairing contrasting forms and colors for a look that feels both modern and familiar. Production leans on wabi-sabi principles — hand-brushing and laser work that let small imperfections add character — alongside jewelry-making casting techniques and seamless metal-to-acetate fusion. The result is a collection that has earned a Silmo d'Or for Best Optical Design and a place on eyewear worn by the likes of Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Questlove.