Meet the Patricia Urquiola SQUARE LAYERS eyeglasses, a striking blend of modern design and sustainable engineering created for JINS Design Project #6. Built around the concept of HILO (the Spanish word for thread), this frame explores the idea of assembling and layering shapes. To achieve that dimensional look, JINS molded the entire frame as a single piece, then hand-painted distinct colors onto the front and bridge, a technique the brand used here for the first time.
Sustainability took center stage in the design process. Over four years, the development team wrestled with what sustainability should really mean for eyewear, spending more than a year testing plant-derived materials until they found a formula that held its strength without compromising the frame's refined look. The result is a piece meant to flatter the wearer's expression while staying kind to the planet. Every pair comes with a cleaning cloth and a case made from recycled material, printed with the HILO logo.
Designer Patricia Urquiola studied architecture and design at the Madrid Polytechnic and the Milan Polytechnic, where she trained under Italian master Achille Castiglioni. She went on to work with Vico Magistretti at De Padova and served as chief designer at Piero Lissoni's studio before opening her own studio in Milan in 2001. Since 2015, she has been art director at Cassina, alongside projects for Louis Vuitton, B&B Italia, Moroso, Flos, Kvadrat, BMW, and Ferrari. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This release brings that same architectural eye and refined sensibility into a pair of everyday glasses.
Patricia Urquiola SQUARE LAYERS plastic eyeglasses from the HILO collection, a concept named after the Spanish word for “thread.” Designed around the idea of assembling and layering forms, the frame is integrally molded and color-blocked using JINS’s first coloring method of this kind, creating dimensional color with a balanced front shape and bridge.
The frame uses a material containing plant-derived raw materials, developed through more than a year of practical testing to achieve both appearance and strength. Includes a recycled-material case and cleaning cloth printed with the HILO logo. Temple adjustment range is limited due to the frame construction.
