“A Very Natural Progression”: Catherine Holstein on Khaite’s Collaboration with Oliver Peoples

Catherine Holstein has been busy. Since winning the CFDA’s American Womenswear Designer of the Year last November, the Khaite founder and creative director is opening her first retail store (designed in collaboration with her husband, architect Griffin Frazen), where she debuted her Fall/Winter 2023 collection on Sunday, all while preparing to welcome the couple’s first child. Her latest project? A collaboration with luxury eyewear brand Oliver Peoples. 

“I couldn’t ask for a better partner,” Holstein recently told Vanity Fair of the partnership. “We have a mutual respect for each other and the conversation started developing into the idea of a collaboration. It was a very natural progression.” 

For Khaite, a brand with its own highly coveted line of accessories, like the Davis boot and uniquely shaped bags like the Olivia and Lotus, sunglasses were an instinctive next step. Featuring an exclusively designed corewire – the part of the eyeglass frame that helps the temples retain shape and connect to the lenses – inspired by the hardware in Khaite’s bags, the creation of each pair involved a double embedding process with two pieces of metal in between two layers of acetate on the exterior.

The collection boasts three styles, each designed to encapsulate a different era and to cater “to that woman who’s very mysterious and darker, like a Brigitte Bardot or Jane Birkin,” Holstein says. The 1969C focuses “on the mod movement more than anything else, where you get a very sharp, thin frame,” Holstein adds. The 1971C and the 1983C feature wider, more ovular shapes, introducing a style that’s “a little bit bigger, and a little more glam,” she says, leaning on musical icons for inspiration. “David Bowie is always a number one influence aesthetically when it comes to confidence and risk.”

Though they’re inspired by different eras in fashion, the sunglasses remain a classic accessory, no matter the style. “Oliver Peoples has always been recognizable for a timeless aesthetic that champions craftsmanship above logos and trends,” says Rocco Basilico, CEO of Oliver Peoples, “both brands found a commonality in honoring style that will always be relevant.” 

The campaign takes the brand in a new direction, photographed by Hanna Tveite on international model and muse Steinberg, and creative directed by Holstein, it delves into the alter ego and the moody, mysterious Khaite aesthetic through the Oliver Peoples lens. “Everything we do has a darkness to it,” Holstein says as they wanted to explore something “a bit sharper, and edgier than your typical eyewear campaign.” 

The Oliver Peoples x Khaite Eyewear Collaboration is now available for purchase on Khaite and Oliver Peoples‘ websites.

Khaite x Oliver Peoples 1969C

Khaite x Oliver Peoples 1971C

Khaite x Oliver Peoples 1983C