THE FRAMES WE WERE TOLD COULDN'T BE MADE
Paloceras started with a shape we didn't quite know how to make. We began by sculpting digitally, exploring volumes without worrying too much about traditional eyewear construction.
In a small workshop in London, the first Pebble was sculpted by hand. It was our first opportunity to see how those digital shapes translated into a physical object, and what needed to change.
The prototype proved Pebble was possible. Finding someone to manufacture it was another story.
01 - Digital sculpting
02 - Physical studies
03 - First prototype made by hand
04 - Finished sculpted volume
In Europe, manufacturers told us our shapes were too difficult to produce. The challenge was our signature inflated volumes, which required press-molded acetate, a technique still rarely used in Europe.
We knew Shenzhen for its manufacturing expertise and innovation, so we went there to meet the people behind the work.
We found a small, independent manufacturer willing to experiment with us. Rather than simplifying our designs, they adapted tools, developed new molds and worked out how to produce the shapes we had imagined.
We remain closely involved throughout production and quality control, and return every year to visit the workshop and see the work firsthand.
SHAPING ACETATE WITH HEAT AND PRESSURE
Today, our Pebble and Nouvelle Fiction collections combine precision machining, hydraulic press molding and hand finishing, building on what we learned from that first prototype.
Thick Mazzucchelli acetate is cut, heated until softened, then pressed using dedicated molds, one piece at a time. This allows us to create deep, continuous curves that traditional machining alone couldn't achieve.
Each frame is then polished, finished and adjusted by hand.
01 - Hydraulic press shaping.
02 - Dedicated aluminum face molds
03 - Custom steel temple molds
04 - Hand polishing & finishing
BEYOND THE SHAPE
We work with Mazzucchelli, an Italian family business founded in 1849, using cellulose acetate derived from plant-based sources such as wood pulp and cotton.
Color is another part of the process. We experiment with transparency, unusual combinations and our DualLayer construction, laminating two different acetate sheets into a single material, creating of our colors. As the frame is shaped and sculpted, the layers reveal themselves along the curves and edges, giving each volume its own depth and character.
The smaller details matter just as much. Custom wirecores with a gold-colored plated finish, joint hinges from Visottica, and nylon lenses from Divel Italia. From the balance and fit to the movement of the hinges and the finish of every surface, we pay close attention to how each frame feels and functions.
STILL EXPERIMENTING
That first Pebble prototype established how we approach making eyewear. Manufacturing isn't simply the final step of design, it's part of the process from the beginning, sometimes challenging our ideas, sometimes opening up entirely new possibilities.
We're still designing things we don't quite know how to make yet.
And we intend to keep doing so.
