There is surely something in the water in New Zealand. How else to explain that it’s the homeland of two of fashion and music’s more imaginative spirits, Karen Walker and Connan Mockasin? Walker will be familiar to anyone keeping up with fashion; her whimsical, nostalgia-tinged runway shows are a delight each New York Fashion Week and her arrow-adorned eyewear is nothing short of a runaway hit. Mockasin, to the uninitiated, almost defies explanation. Kiwi-born, he’s a groovy, lively musician who started his career in London before touring with Charlotte Gainsbourg and then Radiohead in 2012, and settling in Los Angeles with his girlfriend, Hiromi Oshima. But the facts don’t really do justice to the surreal, serene, oddly sexual music he creates. Together, Walker and Mockasin are launching Karen Walker’s first eyewear collection for men this week, simply titled Monumental.
The range of bold, geometric glasses picks up on the thread of statement-making frames that’s made Walker’s womenswear shades a success. Those women’s sunglasses, in fact, are so popular even LeBron James has worn them, a fact that partly inspired the designer to move into men’s styles. “It’s different enough that we felt we had to have a different range, but obviously there’s a continuity of voice and style,” she tells Vogue.
As for the model for her debut men’s collection, it was Mockasin or bust. “We liked the idea of creating a monument as you’d see on the streets of Paris or London, and the idea of taking an interesting man and turning him into a monument,” Walker says. “When we thought of the men we would turn into monuments, Connan was at the top of the list . . . What I like about Connan’s style—his music, his ideas, his concepts, his own look—is that he doesn’t just run with the pack and run with the trends. He’s a modern icon, and he’s actually better than an icon.”
“That’s very flattering, Karen!” Mockasin interjects.
“It’s all true!” she continues. “That’s why he’s got a dove on his head in the images. It riffs off the idea that it could be made of bronze, standing in a square.”
If you can’t tell by now, Walker and Mockasin have an easy rapport—“Speaking to someone who just gets where I’m coming from, that was really nice,” Mockasin says—meaning that the campaign image of Mockasin with a real bird perched on his head is likely just the beginning for these two. The musician’s next project is a five-part miniseries called Bostyn ’n Dobsyn that stars Mockasin as a music teacher, Mr. Boston, also in a band, the Jazzbusters, whose music will serve as Mockasin’s next album. The series is out this October—platform to be decided—with a tour following and the album release in February. The point: There’s plenty of opportunity for one of Walker’s minidresses, sunglasses, or boots to make an appearance in the series or a tour. Stay tuned—we promise, you won’t want to miss it.
Karen Walker’s debut men’s sunglasses range launches today on the brand’s e-store and in select retailers around the globe.