Eyewear designs win plaudits

Survival Next designed by Lai Pui Yan, BOBO from OKIA Optical Co. Ltd came top of the Open Group and received the Made-to-Sell Award. Her eyewear design was inspired by the gear non fungible token (NFT) video game characters use for survival. The product allows wearers to travel between the virtual and real worlds. 

Representing Sun Hing Vision Group Holdings Limited, Leung Ngai Ming’s Turning was the first runner-up of the Open Group with his futuristic folding sunglasses. With a 360-degree hinge, the eyewear can be changed into four forms, namely sunglasses, optical glasses, folding glasses and butterfly shapes.

The Open Group’s second runner-up Chim Pui Ho & Lam Long Him’s Time Traveler incorporated the concept of time travel into their design. The eyewear’s left side represents the past through the use of traditional materials and techniques, while the right highlighted the future with a bolder appearance and colour tone, a perfect fusion of the past and future.

For the Student Group, Yip Tsz Yan of the School for Higher and Professional Education, took first place with her Parallel Universe design. The eyewear’s intricate geometric and parallelism design represent the intersection between life and infinity.

Osseon designed by Wong Zhen Jie, Lionel of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was first runner-up of the Student Group. The design’s surface undulations blur the boundaries between exterior and interior. It can be produced by 3D printing, with tough but flexible PA12 nylon. It can be dyed in different colours to accentuate wearers’ individual taste. 

The Student Group’s second runner-up was Lau Chi Sum of Youth College International. Titled Infinity, the design is composed of two semi-reflective lenses and a customisable layer of glowing powder between them. It appears to have an infinite depth with mutable colours and patterns, which can be customised for individual wearers. 

The Creativity Award was presented to Law Hoi Shan, Jamela. Her Morphogenesis design encourages viewers to embrace transhuman aesthetics and envision humanity’s evolution. Apart from correcting myopia, hyperopia and presbyopia, the multi-purpose accessory allows wearers to use different lenses to access diverse features, such as magnification, light polarisation and colour enhancement. By looking through different lenses, wearers are encouraged to look at the world through different eyes.

Apart from trophies, cash prizes and certificates, the winning works will be publicised on the website of the 31st Hong Kong International Optical Fair as well as the website and annual journal of the Hong Kong Optical Manufacturers Association. The winning pieces have the opportunity to be on display at international optical events.

The 31st Hong Kong International Optical Fair will take place from 8 to 10 November 2023 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), while the online exhibition will run from 8 to 17 November 2023. 

Meanwhile, the HKTDC has arranged select exhibitors and buyers to try out the Click2Match smart business matching platform and meet online from 9 to 11 January 2023. The platform features meeting scheduling, video conferencing, instant messaging, message translation and file-sharing to facilitate communication between exhibitors and buyers.