MYKITA + PERLON limited edition sunglasses PERL 115 in Shiny Graphite/Orange.

Perlon Records has over the last 20 years become one of the most influential names in German dance music. Headed by Thomas Franzmann (Zip), Markus Nikolai and Chris Rehberger, the vinyl-only label is valued not only for its distinctive sound, but also for its iconic record sleeve designs. Connected by a minimalistic and experimental sensibility, MYKITA and Perlon decided to join creative forces creating a custom eyewear design to mark the 20-year anniversary of the Berlin-based music label.

MYKITA + PERLON limited edition sunglasses PERL 115 in Silver/Black

Interviews with the Perlon crew are notoriously rare; the trio much prefer to let their output do their talking. Reserved in their responses to questions like the secret of their staying power in a notoriously transient and fickle electronic music scene – apparently a combination of no compromises, doing as they please and never really expecting anything – the guys are far more interested and forthcoming talking about design concepts and glasses.

The MYKITA + PERLON product set pairs the sunglasses with PERL115, a 7-inch single by Markus Nikolai featuring sounds from the modern manufactory – it is the 115th release from the house of Perlon.

On the subject of the signature Perlon sleeve designs and whether the strict framework ever feels limiting or even pushes creativity, designer Chris Rehberger says: “Every good design concept is limiting. As a designer you find your way around the limitations, which creates new perspectives on the very same concept. That’s when you realise its timelessness. And on top of it – we created the limitations, which makes it far more easier to find ways to work around them.”

MYKITA + PERLON limited edition sunglasses PERL 115 in Shiny Copper/Black

Rehberger, who is also the founder of creative agency Double Standards, explains the inspiration behind the collaboration model design: “I was thinking about how to translate the typeface of the PERLON logo into the shape of lenses. I was telling someone about it and this person was thinking we use the P and N or any other letter of the logo as the shape of the lenses. That would have looked ridiculous – we are not designing frames for Elton John’s next show! What we ended up doing was using all the letters at once and creating a shape with all the curves, the italic shape, and the straight lines. All these combined and melded together make up the shape of the lenses. The bi-coloured lacquer comes from cropping the logo as we do on the record sleeves. The varnish is almost symmetrical, and yet it isn’t. Everything is that little bit off.”

The unique lens shape and bi-colour lacquering of the MYKITA + PERLON sunglasses derives from the Perlon logo typeface: all the individual letters have been layered, rotated and melded to form one absolute outline.

Markus Nikolai, owner of “hundreds, really” pairs of MYKITA glasses, has been a champion of MYKITA design since its inception in 2003 through his store MNO (Markus Nikolai Optic) in Frankfurt: “MYKITA is more than a company for me”, he says, “it’s friends.” Collaborating on a custom frame that brings the respective design languages of MYKITA and Perlon together fulfills a longstanding wish. “At MNO we always had ideas about certain colours and shapes for MYKITA frames that didn't exist yet. We had collaborated on some limited editions already, but we always wanted to do our own Perlon frame. Last year we got together with Moritz (eds. note: Moritz Krueger, MYKITA founder and creative director) and decided now was the right time.”

MYKITA + PERLON limited edition sunglasses PERL 115 in Shiny Graphite/Orange.

Nikolai is also an active music producer and the musical mind behind the 7-inch that accompanies the MYKITA + PERLON frame and that features recordings made at the modern manufactory in MYKITA HAUS. The rhythmic percussion on the single stems from machine sounds from the production floor responsible for crafting the steel frames. Upbeat lyrics about shades are delivered deep and slow: “Like it’s very hot and sticky and I don’t want to make a single move,” is how Nikolai describes the track, “like sticky sand.”

PERL 115 comes limited to 50 pieces per colourway, including Silver/Black, Shiny Copper/Black and Shiny Graphite/Orange.

The MYKITA + PERLON set is available in selected MYKITA Shops and opticians worldwide, as well as the MYKITA E-Shop and DoubleStandards.net.