What happens when historic opticians Moscot team up with two gentlemen by the names of Sam and Jeff, the duo behind Shipley & Halmos? The Shipley & Halmos runway presentation featuring specs (the Miltzen to be exact) by Moscot strutting down the runway!

I had the opportunity to speak to Kenny Moscot, the current President of Moscot Eyewear as well as the S&H kids to get their respective thoughts on the key ingredients to launch a successful collaboration. In many cases, collaborations come across as forced, or worse, fail miserably. But the Moscot X Shipley & Halmos works exceptionally well - and manages to set themselves into a league of their own.

To hear their playful words of wisdom…take a read below.

Kenny Moscot:

What is your role at Moscot? What are some of your responsibilities?

As President of MOSCOT, Kenny Moscot is passionate about promoting and curating the nearly 100-year-old family business. Kenny leads MOSCOT’s strategic growth, branded product design and distribution. With over 15 years in the optical business, he keeps a watchful and careful eye over daily operations, marketing and employee relations. He is also a frequent and sought after spokesperson for the company in national and international newspapers, magazines and television. Kenny and his brother, Dr. Harvey Moscot, are the fourth generation of MOSCOTs to own and operate the business.

Why do you think Moscot eyewear has had such a long standing presence?

Our family has been in the optical business for nearly 100 years. This experience makes us uniquely qualified to help our customers find exactly what they need. When people come into our store, they see us as an authority in eyewear and eyecare and we take that role very seriously. Customer service has been the number one priority at MOSCOT since we first opened our doors. We listen to our customers and we pay attention to even the smallest details all in an effort to offer the best possible optical experience and the highest quality eyewear to our customers and patients by dispensing warmth, courtesy and expertise.

What is it about your Originals collection that sets it apart from other eye glasses and sunglasses?

The MOSCOT Originals collection is an iconic American heritage brand. The newly-made MOSCOT Originals frames are based on styles from the MOSCOT family archives from the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, retaining the authenticity of the original frames right down to real glass lenses in the sunglasses and lens colors that precisely duplicate the true old school colors first fabricated by the company in the 1940s. The collection has met with tremendous success worldwide since first being launched in the United States in 2003.

You have recently been collaborating on a number of different projects with various designers including Common Projects, Thom Browne, Justin Theroux, Shipley &  Halmos and Chris Benz. What are some key attributes you look for when setting out to collaborate?

We collaborate with like-minded brands – brands that fit with our brand aesthetically and compliment one another on many levels.. All of these designers, in their own way, share a similar aesthetic, respect tradition, and pay attention to the details - these are all important attributes that must be present for a successful collaboration.

Tell me a little bit about how the Shipley & Halmos collaboration came about? Was this something that had been on your radar for quite some time?

Jeff and Sam came to me to ask if MOSCOT would be interested in being a part of their Fall Fashion Week show in NYC. After meeting with them and seeing their collection, I knew our brands would match perfectly and our frames would help create a really fantastic head to toe look.

What is it about Shipley & Halmos that you feel aligns itself with the Moscot brand?

S+H are extremely talented designers who create clothes that speak to a specific look and feel. Our frame style, the Miltzen aligned nicely to help create a sharp look with their S/S 2009 collection.

What are your trademark frames and lenses?

Our trademark frames are Lemtosh, Nebb, Miltzen, Yukel, Vilda and Zelig. Our three trademark lens colors are G15, Cosmitan Brown, and Calibar Green, each based on true old school colors MOSCOT first starting using in the 1940’s.

Shipley & Halmos:

What is it about Moscot that you feel aligns itself perfectly with the Shipley & Halmos brand?

Sam Shipley: We think Moscot, like us, understands and respects tradition but also is intrigued by looking forward. When someone approaches design with that mindset, creations tend to be uniquely current and fresh.

How did the Shipley & Halmos/Moscot collab come about?

Jeff Halmos: We were discussing sunglass options with Heidi Bivens, the stylist we worked with on that season’s show. We mentioned Moscot because we’ve always been fans of what they do, their heritage, the family-owned aspect of their business, etc. We had a meeting with Kenny Moscot and knew instantly it would be the right fit for our brand.

Tell me a little bit about what you did afterwards to celebrate the S&H presentation?

Sam Shipley: We threw an incredible rooftop party with the girls from Vena Cava. Plenty of debauchery created by all.

Any upcoming collaborations in the works?

Jeff Halmos: Actually, we’re working on several projects. Unfortunately, they’re not ready to be unveiled. We have so many ideas about people/companies/products we’d like to work with/on. The possibilities are endless. Collaborations are very time-consuming though, which forces us to be careful before starting one.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

Sam Shipley: There are so many it’s hard to name just one. Ok here goes; work on a film directed by Danny Boyle, record the soundtrack with Lou Reed, write the script with the late Stanley Kubrick, and have a little help on the costume design from Martin Margiela.