New Collection Pays Homage to Centuries Old Glass Making Technique

The Optic Collection is set to launch on 15th April online and in key retail stores and hospitality venues across the UK and North America.

The collection, comprising only three shapes, is deeply inspired by a centuries-old glass-making technique believed to have originated in Germany in around 1450. “I wanted to create a design that continued the legacy of this technique whilst adding a contemporary look and feel,” says Richard Brendon, Founder and Designer. 

Traditionally, glassblowers would blow the molten glass into a specially designed ribbed mould, remove it while it is still malleable, and then blow it again into a secondary mould without ribbing before twisting it to create a spiralled, ribbed effect. This innovative but crude technique was further developed and highly refined in Murano to achieve tighter ribbing and more precision. The effect is a mesmerising optic on the outside of the glass which catches the eye and is incredibly tactile.

This technique became popular among English glassblowers in the late 17th century with the emergence of Champagne, thanks to bottle-making developments in the UK around 1650. At the time, Champagne was cloudy in appearance, and this clever optic in the glass hid the cloudiness of the wine.

Richard Brendon pays homage to this rich heritage with the introduction of Optic. Each piece in the Optic collection is entirely handmade with tight, gently spiralled ribbing on each piece, a reassuring weight, and a tactile feeling. The bases are polished entirely flat, creating a visual contrast with the ribbed design, and making them stable and suitable for use in any setting. 

The collection consists of a tumbler, highball, and carafe. The tumbler and highball are well-suited for water, cocktails or soft drinks, and the slim design of the carafe makes it an excellent option for decanting wine or serving chilled water straight from the fridge. The collection comes in two colour ways, Clear and Smoke, a sultry charcoal hue which catches the light and offers a point of intrigue on the table or bar. Each piece in the collection is handmade with lead-free glass, which makes them resistant to clouding. And they are suitable for dishwashers.

The collection will retail on richardbrendon.com from 15th April and will be in-store at select retailers.