AYA Eyewear Announces New Jim Yellowhawk Styles
On the heels of a successful launch earlier in the year, AYA Optical recently introduced two new Jim Yellowhawk styles from their unique collaboration. Featuring stunning ledger art, these eyewear styles pair Jim's extraordinary artwork with handcrafted materials. Wakan and Dragonfly are modern designs made from high-quality acetate, bringing revered symbols from Lakota culture to the global marketplace.
Dragonfly is a striking new style featuring the Four Winds Design by Jim Yellowhawk in bright hues, in a combination of metal and acetate clubmaster frame. You are sure to leave a lasting impression, and maybe even strike up a conversation, with these frames adorned with Jim’s Four Wines artwork, symbolizing harmony amongst the four races of people. In gloss black acetate and silver or caramel acetate and gold.
DRAGONFLY
Wakan is a stunning new metal frame featuring Jim Yellowhawk’s Sun is Life design. Says Yellowhawk,” The yellow and red triangles represent butterflies, a powerful symbol of hope, transformation, and connection, that carry our prayers to the creator. “ A classic frame that draws attention with its bold artistic touches, Wakan is comfortable, versatile, and a style standout. Wakan is available in matte black or matte brown.
WAKAN
About Jim Yellowhawk
Jim Yellowhawk comes from a family of artists from the Itazipco Band of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He has been immersed in the art of his ancestors since his youth. A master of ledger art, collage, and modern mediums like neon light, and even dance, Jim’s art is a vivid celebration of culture, resilience, and storytelling. His work is rich with symbolism, featuring motifs like the eagle and buffalo, which reflect the circle of life and unity in Lakota culture. Jim’s work is deeply rooted in the tradition of Plains Indian ledger art, a narrative form that thrived from the 1860s to the 1920s and experienced a revival in the 1960s. Named for the ledger books that Plains Indians repurposed for canvases, ledger art tells stories and expresses cultural identity through drawings and paintings on cloth or paper. The artwork of Jim Yellowhawk can be found in some of the most interesting corners of the world, including galleries and private collections worldwide. A blanket design of his was featured last year online in Italian Photo Vogue, and his art will now be made available on five striking AYA optical frames.
About AYA Optical
AYA Optical was founded in 2009 with a vision to create eyewear that would be a canvas to tell stories from the indigenous world and feature original artwork created by renowned First Nations artists, such as Corrine Hunt, Donald Chretien, Phil Gray, and Kathy Marianito. While the relationship with those artists continues to flourish, AYA has many other new collaborations simultaneously in progress.
AYA Optical successfully blends for-profit entrepreneurship with philanthropy. The brand has always invested back into indigenous communities and has contributed over $300,000 to initiatives such as helping at-risk kids in Northern communities start their day with a healthy breakfast, scholarship programs for indigenous women, and eyewear donations to elders and communities in need. The brand is known for its great styling, focus on details, quality craftsmanship, and philanthropic efforts.
AYA Optical has built a reputation for producing exceptional eyewear crafted from high-quality acetates and metals. This woman-led eyewear brand continues to push boundaries with creative eyewear design, and this series is the first of its kind, integrating ledger art, as it pairs Jim’s extraordinary artwork with handmade acetates inspired by buffalo horn materials, creating eyewear that is both beautiful and deeply meaningful.
Original link:https://www.opticaljournal.com/aya-eyewear-announces-new-jim-yellowhawk-styles/