Malaysian-born Ti Kwa launched RIGARDS in 2012, channeling his nonconformist bent into frames that are imbued with the stories of samurai swordsmen, Eastern gods, characters from gothic literature, and more. Kwa has a penchant for materials that are naturally derived and each pair of spectacles is meticulously made in Kwa’s Hong Kong atelier.

“I have always had a fascination with how things are made. From my earliest days, I was fond of making mental sketches of my perfect pair, and thought about how I might go about making this impossible creation. Finally, I thought I’d give it a try. Natural materials and traditional craftsmanship are part of RIGARDS’s essence. Our aim is to translate that in a contemporary way. I connect these values with my interest in nonconformist aesthetics to design eyewear that conveys an original worldview.”

“Every pair of RIGARDS glasses tells a story. It might be inspired by the heroes and anti-heroes of my favourite boyhood sagas, close encounters with natural wonders like the majestic manta ray, or the rough-but-warm textures of stone. It could be a fond personal memory, or a story brought to me. Good design is the expression of these innate connections in exceptional visual forms.”