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Swiss specs manufacturer ‘inundated’ with requests after Oprah royals interview

Swiss spectacles manufacturer Gotti said Thursday they had been inundated with demand for the oversized glasses worn by Oprah Winfrey for her TV interview with Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.

TV star Oprah's Swiss-made glasses are causing an internet frenzy.
Photo: Paul ELLIS / AFP

The small Zurich-based brand, which makes high-end frames, told AFP they were “a little surprised” by the surge in interest following the US talk show queen’s bombshell sit-down with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Watched by at least 50 million people in the United States, Britain and around the world, the interview saw the couple, who have quit for a new life in Meghan’s native California, make damaging allegations against Harry’s family, the inner workings of the British monarchy and the UK tabloid press.

 
 
 
 
 
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But the glasses worn by Winfrey also caught the eyes of viewers gripped by the dramatic interview.

Based in Wadenswil, a small tree-lined town on the shores of Lake Zurich, the brand was founded in 1993 by Sven Gotti. It produces frames in small quantities, with around 10,000 pairs manufactured per month, which are then sold by independent opticians.

Made in its workshops in Switzerland, they cost an average of 400 to 500 Swiss francs ($430-540, 360 to 450 euros), the brand’s spokesman told AFP.

But the “OR02” frames worn by Winfrey were designed by Gotti himself especially for the US television legend after meeting her via his favourite opticians in Washington. 

‘Lightness’ 

“I designed two different pairs for her,” Gotti told AFP. “But when she saw them, she loved them so much that she didn’t know which ones to choose — and took them both.”

Winfrey — who owns an impressive collection of glasses — likes them “for their lightness”, despite their size, said Gotti.

The 67-year-old media mogul has since ordered around 20 pairs.

“I was a little surprised by the reaction,” said Gotti. “She had already worn our frames for other interviews — with Barack Obama, with Lady Gaga, with Dolly Parton.

“But since this epic interview, interest is coming from everywhere,” he said.

The interview first aired in the US on Sunday and was screened in Britain on Monday.

The brand has since been overwhelmed by requests from opticians after customers have come into their shops — especially in the US and Britain — to find out where they can get their hands on Winfrey’s eyewear.

Gotti’s 30-strong team in Wadenswil will now have to work flat out to meet demand.

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FASHION

Paris exhibition celebrates 100 years of French Vogue

A new exhibition in Paris will tell the story of 100 years of French Vogue - from the post-war 'New Look' of Christian Dior through the sexual liberation of the 1960s to the dangling-cigarette waifs of the 2000s.

French Vogue celebrates 100 years
French Vogue celebrates 100 years. Photo: Thomas Olva/AFP

But as well as celebrating the magazine’s storied history, the exhibit comes at a time of turbulence for the publication.

Just last month, it was confirmed that its editor of 10 years, Emmanuelle Alt, was out and wouldn’t be replaced.

She was not alone.

Looking to cut costs, owner Conde Nast International has axed editors across Europe over the past year, and put international Vogue editions under the direct control of global editorial director, Anna Wintour, in New York.

New York-based Anna Wintour now has overall control of French Vogue. Photo by Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Like much of the media industry, Vogue is struggling with tumbling sales and ad revenue in the digital era.

But the latest twist is also part of the endless push and pull between New York and Paris going back to its early days.

“The whole history of French Vogue is one of back-and-forth with Conde Nast in New York – growing more independent for a while, then being reined back in,” said Sylvie Lecallier, curator of the new exhibition, “Vogue Paris 1920-2020″, which opened this weekend after a year’s delay due to the pandemic.

The Paris edition was often the loftier, more bohemian sibling to its more hard-nosed New York version.

But it was also the hotbed in which much of 20th century style and womenhood came to be defined.

“Paris was the place to hunt out talent and content and bring it to New York,” said Lecallier.

The exhibition charts the evolution from art deco drawings of the 1920s through the erotic image-making of photographers like Helmut Newton in the 1960s and 1970s.

Its last peak was under editor Carine Roitfeld in the 2000s, who brought back a provocative Gallic identity by ridding the newsroom of foreign staff and becoming a fashion icon in her own right.

Her successor, Alt, was a quieter presence, though she still oversaw key moments including its first transgender cover star, Brazilian Valentina Sampaio, in 2017.

But internet culture has created “a perfect storm” for Vogue, says media expert Douglas McCabe of Enders Analysis.

“The first 80 years of Vogue’s life, it had the market to itself, it was the bible for fashion,” McCabe told AFP.

“But online today, there are so many other ways to get your information. Influencers, Instagram, YouTube — everyone’s a threat.”

In a world where new fashion trends can blow up around the world in seconds, it has become much harder for a monthly magazine to set the pace.

“It’s not that they can’t survive for another 100 years — but they will be differently sized,” McCabe said.

Vogue has tried to branch out into different areas, including events.

“I used to work for a magazine, and today I work for a brand,” Alt said on the eve of French Vogue’s 1,000th issue in 2019.

But the big money was always in print, and Vogue Paris sales are dropping steadily from 98,345 in 2017 to 81,962 to 2020, according to data site ACPM.

It is perhaps unsurprising that the new top job in Paris, redefined as “head of editorial content”, went to Eugenie Trochu, who was key to building the magazine’s online presence.

She declared herself “thrilled to be part of Vogue’s international transformation”.

For the curator of the exhibition, it is ironic timing.

“We had no idea it would end like this when we started work on the exhibition,” said Lecallier.

“Who knows where it will go from here.”

The exhibition Vogue Paris 1920-2020 is at the Palais Galliera in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. The gallery is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday and is closed on Mondays. Tickets for the exhibition are €14 (€12 for concessions and under 18s go free) and must be reserved online in advance. 

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