heatherwick studio designs fluid optical frames for JINS

heatherwick studio shapes liquid-inspired eyewear for JINS

Heatherwick Studio steps into the world of eyewear for the first time through a collaboration with Japanese eyewear brand JINS. The collection translates the architectural language of the studio into a series of optical frames shaped by the movement, asymmetry, and fluidity of water. Known for large-scale projects such as Little Island and Azabudai Hills, the studio applies the same human-centered philosophy to an object worn directly on the body.

JINS × Heatherwick Studio is built around the concept of Liquid, moving away from the rigid geometries and industrial precision associated with eyewear. The frames appear softened and slightly irregular, echoing ripples across water surfaces and the shifting forms of molten material. Rounded edges, asymmetrical contours, and translucent finishes give the pieces an organic quality, as if shaped by natural forces.

all images courtesy of JINS

a collection informed by architecture and natural movement

London- and Shanghai-based Heatherwick Studio approaches each frame as a sculptural object designed to sit naturally on the face. Stuart Wood, Executive Partner and Group Leader at Heatherwick Studio, describes glasses as ‘deeply intimate objects’ that too often feel generic and detached from individuality. The team instead looked toward ‘the flow of water, the movement of air, and the luminosity of stone’ to develop forms that feel more organic and emotionally resonant.

Two frame typologies anchor the collection: resin styles with layered translucent textures and titanium versions finished either with a mirrored polish or a soft brushed surface. Across the lineup, six colorways draw directly from aquatic and geological references. Grey Mist evokes fog drifting across water, Stream Fern references underwater vegetation, while Obsidian Black recalls volcanic rock and deep reflective pools. The titanium editions mirror the shifting appearance of rippling liquid metal.

translucent frames ripple like water frozen in motion

six colors and four frame silhouettes define the collection

The collaboration includes four frame silhouettes split across resin and titanium constructions. The resin models are offered in Boston and Wellington shapes, while the titanium versions reinterpret the same profiles through thinner metallic structures and reflective finishes. Each frame subtly exaggerates curves and transitions around the temples and rims, creating silhouettes that appear slightly in motion.

The launch continues JINS’ broader history of collaborations with architects and designers that push eyewear beyond purely functional objects. For Heatherwick Studio, meanwhile, the project marks an unusual reduction in scale. A practice associated with urban landmarks and experimental public spaces turns its attention here toward the intimate relationship between object and wearer, compressing ideas about movement, tactility, and atmosphere into an everyday accessory.

liquid-inspired temples appear sculpted by flowing water