STEVE MCQUEE STEVE MCQUEEN
GILLES MACALUSO
BOLD OPTICAL FAIR | SPRING 2022 |
TEKST: MAARTEN WEIDEMA
90
Hello Gilles, tell us about yourself and your current role at Steve McQueen Eyewear! After graduating in optics, I started working as an optician but soon became an agent for well-known designer brands. In 2004, I founded my own company specialising in the distribution of designer collections. Twelve years later, in 2016, I founded MMC'Eyewear to develop and distribute my own collections. Nowadays, with the Steve McQueen Eyewear brand, I try to focus more on design. What inspired you to choose the "king of cool" as the namesake for this eyewear collection? My business partner and friend Pierre joined me in 2018 with the goal of developing MMC'Eyewear through brands with a strong universe and image. Pierre and I are undisputed fans of SMQ and fans of vintage cars and motorbikes and finally motorsport fans, so when we asked ourselves what men generally like or what they would like to look like, the name of Steve McQueen came across as a no-brainer. We can say that many people around the world love his lifestyle. It is still so relevant today. But first of all, this adventure was a strong company enriched by shared passions and then came the idea of an eyewear collection dedicated to "The King of Cool". Steve McQueen Eyewear is not just an eyewear brand, it is a state of mind. Steve McQueen is such an iconic name and great personality that it must be very difficult to match eyewear styles with such a character. How did you come up with these cool styles? Steve McQueen Eyewear is not just an eyewear collection, it's a real state of mind. The frames are not just frames, they are the incarnation of Steve McQueen. Each model bears a name as a tribute to SMQ's life: a place, a memory, something important in his life, sometimes just a small detail unknown to most. Pierre and I are very happy to work on a universe of and about someone we are passionate about. I put myself in Steve McQueen's life to create something that he would love and be proud to wear. Creating a Steve McQueen frame is like a journey through his life. There is nothing more gratifying for fans like us.
