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Brave new world
Gentle Monster is the name of a glasses brand from South Korea. The unusual name is actually a declaration on the product range as you soon see on stepping into one of the branches that have now opened around the world: Each assigned to a specific overarching theme, creatures seem to grow out of the floor and form a cordon, framed by beautiful kinetic installations. With their mechanical movements they go about some unknown and unspecified task and simply leave you puzzled – their rotations, jolts and contortions are as fascinating as they are bizarre. The glasses, which arise in part in collaboration with designers such as Marcel Wanders or couturiers Alexander Wang and Henrik Vibskov, are thus almost confined to the wings and you often only spot them at second glance in the elaborate structures.
Founded in 2011 by Hankook Kim in Seoul, the company devotes immense effort to presenting its products in truly theatrical settings. The experimental fantasy worlds are spatial explorations that by means of creatures that appear to be aliens nevertheless present very human realities: From the endless repetition of everyday routines through to the visualization of sadistic character traits, Gentle Monster translates its critique of society into hand-made, abstract objects. Buying glasses thus becomes an experience for most of your senses and leaves a lasting impression.
