ESTABLISHED in 2015 by sisters Peta Heinsen and Ilona Hamer, Matteau was founded between Sydney and LA with a focus on refined swimwear and ready-to-wear. Now, ten years on, Matteau is entering a new category with the launch of its first eyewear collection.
Two years in development, the collection is handmade in Italy from premium Italian acetate and introduces three core styles. The Voyager is a squared frame with softened edges, produced in Black and Dark Tortoiseshell acetate with 5-barrel hinges and Green or Brown CR-39 lenses.
Matteau Mirage Sunglasses
The Mirage is a petite cat eye in Black and Dark Tortoiseshell acetate, also fitted with 5-barrel hinges and Brown or Green CR-39 lenses, while the Eclipse is a round frame inspired by the brand’s archive, crafted in Black and Light Tortoiseshell acetate with 7-barrel hinges and Green or Honey Brown CR-39 lenses.
Matteau Eclipse Sunglasses
“We spent the last two years developing our sunglass collection, refining the shapes, and paying attention to every detail including the weight, hand-feel, curves and edges. The collection is inspired by vintage references, and like everything we do, they instantly make you feel like you’ve already owned them for a lifetime,” say Peta Heinsen, Co-Founder & Director, and Ilona Hamer, Co-Founder & Creative Director.
On their design approach, they add, “We aren’t driven by trends and always focus on the timelessness of a piece, so it was no different when expanding into eyewear. We revisited classic silhouettes through our vintage archive and refined our collection through the Matteau lens.
Wear-testing was incredibly important to us, and we’ve been wearing the samples for the past 9+ months. In this time we’ve shared them with friends of the brand to see how we could adjust shapes to suit (mostly) all faces and gathered feedback from those close to us. We had these with us on our brand trip to Hotel Les Roches Rouges last year, and it was great to see how excited all our guests were about what was to come!”
Matteau Voyager Sunglasses
On launching exclusively direct to consumer: “Launching DTC first allows us the opportunity to deliver the collection in a considered way to our community and hear their feedback firsthand. It also allows us the flexibility on delivery and production timelines, which removes the added pressure when bringing a new category to market.”
by Felicity Carter
The launch is available exclusively via matteau-store.com.