Debbie Harry Is A Gothic Icon For The Great Frog’s New Cutler and Gross Campaign
The collaboration debuts 12 new styles for AW24.
clashmusic.com
By SABRINA SOORMALLY – 18th September 2024
Debbie Harry is peering behind the lenses of a pair of oversized square sunglasses from The Great Frog’s latest collaboration with Cutler and Gross for a new campaign. Captured by legendary street photographer Bruce Gilden at the New York Chelsea Hotel, the black and white images embody Gilden’s signature candid realism, the lenses even reflecting his famous flashgun.
Founded in 1969 and 1972 respectively, Cutler and Gross and The Great Frog have become synonymous with London. Both brands emerged during an era of rebellion and unbridled creativity, and have maintained that relationship with the punk artists of the decade, Debbie Harry is counted as a friend of Cutler and Gross and follows in the footsteps of Iggy Pop who fronted the duo’s collaborative campaign in 2022. Both brands have also maintained a dedication to handcrafted manufacturing, Cutler and Gross frames are still created at the brand’s atelier in Italy today, and Reino Lehtonen-Riley still ensures each piece of The Great Frog jewellery utilises the older techniques his father used. For this collection in particular, Reino utilised old-school jewellery-making techniques, whittling each gilded detail in wax before casting in polished sterling silver and a limited plated 24K gold.
The “Gothic Realism” campaign features six pairs of sunglasses and three optical glasses, set in three distinct silhouettes: the Prometheus style has been carved into a square shape with swept-up corners on either side, the Phantom frame features softly rounded corners, and the Titan is more angular, each silhouette features a sterling silver dagger emblem on either side.
Speaking of the campaign with Harry, Reino Lehtonen-Riley, Creative Director of The Great Frog commented: “In my eyes there is no bigger icon than Debbie Harry, she embodies consummate elegance mixed with a strong New York punk edge. A truly trailblazing woman so ahead of her time, she was cross pollinating punk with street culture before it was even a term, bridging worlds with timeless beauty and all the while remaining authentic and never losing her individuality. Our new eyewear collection hopes to emulate and draw from her remarkable presence and iconic achievements.”
In addition to the main styles, a set of limited edition frames takes artistry and creativity to new heights. Three distinct silhouettes offer the opportunity for both brands to play with their vision of punk and rebellion, designing a rounded pair with soft sweeping sides called the Diablo, a pair of slim matrix glasses with rounded sides called the Rapture, and finally, the Medusa. Dramatic in stature and design, the Medusa frames were chosen to be worn by Harry in the campaign’s lead image. Big, square frames with waved edges and cat-eye corners embody the attitude of not only this collection but the connection between two independent brands driven by the subcultures they grew up with.
Visit cutlerandgross.com
Music “Heart of Glass” by Blondie and Philip Glass. Copyright © – Blondie Music, Inc. Composed by – Chris Stein, Debbie Harry, Philip Glass
