Christian Roth

Christian Roth is a designer of luxury eyewear.

Early life

Roth was born on January 6, 1959 in Hanover, Germany to Dr. Fritz-Jürgen and Sabine Roth and recalls receiving a pair of Ray-Bans from his father at age 15 as a defining moment in discovering his passion for eyewear.^[1]

In 1980, Roth started his career in New York as an assistant to the late fashion photographer Rico Puhlmann. In 1978, he met French-born Eric Domege, who was studying marketing at the Academie Commerciale Internationale (A.C.I.) at the time, in Paris.^[1] The pair met again in New York in 1983, and in 1984 they founded Optical Affairs.^[2]

The 1990's

Under the name Christian Roth, Roth and Domege continued to design high-fashion eyewear that graced the covers of Fashion publications, ranging from Women's Wear Daily to Vogue. In 1990, Roth and the brand were inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Roth was the first eyewear designer to join the CFDA.

In 1998, Roth and Domege formed a partnership with the Charmant Group to produce and distribute Christian Roth eyewear worldwide. The Japanese manufacturer helped the Christian Roth brand expand internationally, throughout the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Asia.

2000–Present

In 2002 the pair was honored by the art world with the inclusion of their designs from the 1980's and 1990's in the "Taking Eyeglasses Seriously" exhibition at the Triennale di Milano. From 2000 to 2004, Roth and Domege collaborated with designer Michael Kors on his eyewear collections. Since 2007 the pair has also worked with Karl Lagerfeld on his line of fashion eyewear.

The brand Christian Roth celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. The designers released 25 limited edition with monogram,^[3] versions of their Series A style. In 2010, Christian Roth ended its 12-year licensing deal with Charmant.^[4] and retook control of all its trademarks. Today the frames are worn on celebrities ranging from Lenny Kravitz to Kate Moss. Christian Roth eyewear can be found at international retailers, such as New York's Bergdorf Goodman and Isetan in Japan.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Kamen, Paddy (November–December 2008). "Audacious and Artistic: Christian Roth and Eric Domege". Vision Magazine. Breton Communications. http://www.bretoncom.com/vision/2008/11/07.asp. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 
2. ^ "Christian Roth CHARMANT INC.". CFDA. http://www.cfda.com/members/?member_id=470&category_id=3&tab=q. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 
3. ^ Darwin, Liza (July 10, 2009). "Love At First Sight: Christian Roth Monogram Sunglasses". style.com. http://www.style.com/stylefile/2009/07/love-at-first-sight-christian-roth-monogram-sunglasses/. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 
4. ^ Lauren Benet Stephenson (July 9, 2010). "Christian Roth, Charmant to End Licensing Deal". Women's Wear Daily. http://www.wwd.com/markets-news/christian-roth-charmant-to-end-licensing-deal-3175191. Retrieved June 9, 2011. 

External links

• Official homepage
• Christian Roth at CFDA.com

Persondata
Name	Roth, Christian
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1959
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death