Jess Wilson + KITE Eyewear
The British artist works her magic on cloths and pouches for the brand’s glasses
Artist and illustrator Jess Wilson’s work is colorful, humorous and quirky, whether she’s writing out Manhattan street names to create a map of the island or drawing the best of British comedy shows for a poster. The British creative (who has previously brought her eye for detail to projects for The Guardian and Vogue, Nike and more) has just teamed up with KITE, an eyewear brand inspired by London and created in the heart of the city. Together, Wilson and KITE have created lens cloths and pouches for the brand’s opticals and sunglasses.
“I hadn’t heard of KITE before but they contacted me and—as I wear glasses—I was immediately intrigued,” Wilson tells CH. “The more I worked with them, the more I liked them. And it’s nice to design something and know that you’ll use the product yourself.”
The collection features eight different designs, including Wilson’s signature letter graphics. “I’ve always enjoyed illustrating letters. At the moment I’m gravitating towards SALE posters; before, I was more into handwritten types of letters,” she says of the designs. Other cloths feature people wearing the glasses, as well as playful cartoon characters and a pixelated skull. For Wilson, the fact that the cloths and pouches will presumably get slightly worn over time was part of the charm of the project. “I enjoyed designing them as I like things to be used. The cloths might get dirty with usage but I like that, I like seeing how things are used and how they develop.”
Jess Wilson for KITE also created six murals for the store in east London shopping centre Westfield Stratford. They are, as Wilson says, “a version of the cloths and pouches but much more textured; I’ve been screen-printing at Jealous print studio, and also used paint.” The collaboration cloths and pouches are free when buying KITE’s spectacles or sunglasses, and are available now.
Images courtesy of KITE
