The sketches, assures Alain Marhic, had been patient for several years. “In my old life at Quiksilver [entre 1998 et 2008], I was in charge of the glasses division for a while, both optical and solar. And as soon as I founded March La.b, I thought that one day I would make glasses there. » Now that his French brand, which is fifteen years old this year, has acquired sufficient credibility in the watchmaking discipline, he allows himself this step aside. With his partner, Jérôme Mage – who already owns the eyewear brand Jacques Marie Mage – Marhic started by bringing out old models in acetate to think about what he liked in these accessories. “which, to be successful, must not disguise your face”.
Since viewing several years ago, on a plane to Los Angeles, The War According to Charlie Wilson (2007), a kitsch, gossipy comedy by Mike Nichols set in the anti-Communist Cold War, he now wears nothing but sunglasses. “One of the characters, played by Philip Seymour Hoffmann, swears by vintage light brown lenses. Smoked glasses give you a little anachronistic or serial killer side, it’s true, but in the meantime, everyone recognizes you! » It is therefore two tinted pairs, in three variations of green and with aviator frames in golden steel and acetate, that March La.b draws, as if they had escaped from the 1980s shown by the film. Made in Italy, they display discreet intertwining lines, echoing the brand’s graphic logo. Usually visible on the crown or on the back of the watches, here they are drawn in relief in the metal, on the branch and the tenon.
Brentwood or Miramar sunglasses, March La.b, €395 a pair. march-lab.com