Grounded in tradition, the eyewear brand Rigards has always had an innovative approach to the term tradition. Being focused on on rediscovering the hidden treasures of natural horn frames, creating a passionate and unique collection. Rigards is also curious on how other traditional materials can be translate to the language of Rigards.

Aluminium, an exceptional and naturally-occurring metal, has been an idea we regularly come back to as a potential project, and this season we thought we’d move the initiative from the back burner to a full boil.

Strong yet light, malleable yet durable, tough yet classy, aluminium is a material with the good kind of split personality. It is also corrosion-resistant, impact-absorbing, non-toxic, easy to recycle and, according to the American Chemical Society, “naturally good-looking.” (And, you know if the American Chemical Society says you’re good-looking, you must be one handsome fox.) In recent years the metal has taken on a new face thanks to the boom of gadgets like iPhone—you may even be reading this on a sleek aluminium device. But long before these new applications came on the scene, aluminium was in fact “the” material for eyeglasses during the late ’60s and early ’70s, before becoming less widely used perhaps because it is not easy to work with.