This is a continuation of the MIDO exhibition report.

This time, I would like to change things up a bit and look at the exhibition from the perspective of frame materials.

A variety of materials are used for eyeglass frames.

For metal frames, titanium and titanium alloys are the specialty of Sabae, a production center in Japan, as well as stainless steel, nickel silver, and Monel, etc. For plastic frames, celluloid and acetate of plant origin and TR-90 used in the medical field are representative.

In this issue, I would like to mention a few things about materials.

This is the Italian company Matzkeley, which makes fabric for acetate frames (think of them as plastic frames).

They are major enough to be able to say that these frames are made using fabrics from this company.

If you trace the origin of the brightly colored plastic frames you wear, you may find your way to this company. As you can read here, this is a company with a very long history, founded 170 years ago.

One of the materials that stood out from the crowd was glasses made with 3D printers.

There seemed to be two types of companies: those exploring the possibility of custom-made glasses to suit the size of the face, such as the custom-made system introduced at the HOYA booth the other day, and those simply introducing glasses made with a 3D printer as a new material with a texture like this. I thought there were two types of companies.

Technological innovations are becoming faster and faster, and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds in this area.

This is also a material that has been around for some time: leather.
There were a few brands that ambitiously presented glasses made of different materials, such as those with leather on the temples or on the brow of nylor frames, although the number was small.

The material here is "stone".
These glasses won the Silmo d'Or, the grand prize at the Silmo exhibition a few years ago. The frame was made of marble laminated to the frame, and it was said that no two frames would have the same pattern. They are very beautiful. To be honest, the price is pretty great, too (laughs).

The next material is "Buffalo horn".
I felt that horn is the No. 1 material used by some brands to show that they are also doing this kind of thing (laugh). 999.9 also released buffalo horn frames last year. It is recommended for customers who are particular about their frames, as they need to be well cared for, but the unique luster is indeed impressive.

I did not see any tortoiseshell this time.
Importation is prohibited by the Washington Convention, so even if you find it, you can't bring it to Japan. 、、、、

That's about it for today.

Article Categories: Exhibition Information