Interview with Yasuhisa Obata and Yukiko Obata/kikiki optique

Above: Model KOP-005 Astronomer Set Col. Navy

EYEWEAR CULTURE conducted an interview with Yasuhisa Obata and Yukiko Obata from the brand kikiki optique. The concept of the brand is 'Seeking and shaping the charms hidden in everyday life.'. The brand is based in Okachimachi area in Tokyo, the area known for its metalworking and jewelry craftsmanship.

In the interview, how the brand has started, inspirations for the designs, the manufacturing process, and future prospects of the brand were discussed. Brand kikiki optique uniquely combines jewelry techniques such as lost wax casting, with eyewear manufacturing methods from Sabae in Fukui Prefecture.

Above: Yukiko Obata(Left) and Yasuhisa Obata(Right) from kikiki optique

Thank you very much for letting us visit your workshop. First, could you please tell us how and when the brand kikiki optique started?

Yasuhisa Obata (hereinafter referred to as Yasuhisa):

Initially, we were not manufacturing eyewear frames. My wife, Yukiko was a web designer. She wanted to create something physical rather than just working on screens, so she started attending metalworking classes, which started everything.

I was working in the field of architecture at the time. I decided to attend the classes as well because it looked interesting to me too. My father was an optician. So we began using acetate leftovers to create accessories.

Yukiko Obata (hereinafter referred to as Yukiko):

In Okachimachi area, there are many jewelry designers, so we were thinking about how to differentiate our work. We thought about combining unique materials like acetate with metal. Since Yasuhisa's father owned an optical store, we decided to experiment with familiar eyewear materials.

There was a time when combination frames (frames consists of part acetate and part metal usually on the front part of the frame) were trending. We thought, "Could we make the metal bridge part of the frame cuter?" and decided to give it a try.