Etnia – Proud ambassadors of individuality

Optical House

In Eyewear Posted December 09, 2019

The corporate ethos

Etnia Barcelona = ethnicity of Barcelona. Company’s name itself defines the framework that delimits the method of product creation. One part concerns the 20th Century History of Catalonia’s capital as muse of inspiration. The other part is about belonging to a group, a community, representing members with common characteristics.

The first steps

The idea behind the creation of Etnia Barcelona originated in the need for personal expression by its founder and creative director, David Pellicer. Been born and raised in Barcelona himself, he’s representing the family’s 3rd consecutive generation of Opticians. Starting from his grandfather, Fulgencio Ramo, who passed on his knowledge to David’s mother and aunt, the family counts overall 60 years in the industry.

When young David, at the age of 17, decided to get involved in the manufacturing of eyewear, he set a goal very clearly: no more solid colored black or brown glasses! The idea of freedom in artistic conception captivated him. By following it, he founded Etnia Barcelona a little later and created his first collection of glasses that blended 2 and 3 colors, as tributes to social and cultural pluralism.

Etnia Barcelona today

Today, the company is leading the way in eyewear manufacturing with innovative geometric frame designs and bold color combinations that showcase the shape and angles of each spectacled’s face, while consistently surprising its audience with limited editions and collections inspired from subversive artists.

New collections: a story of constant exploration

Within the concept of the latter activity, the company has collaborated with photographers such as the creator of daring erotic poses, Nobuyoshi Araki, as well as the, well known for his portrait of an Afghan girl who became a cover in major magazines, Steve McCurry. Another source of inspiration derives from artists who are no longer alive, such as the neo-realist pioneer Yves Klein, with the characteristic shade of blue in his paintings being used to create the frames of the edition, as well as the globally acknowledged Jean-Michel Basquiat with his endoscopic graffiti about social concerns.

At Optical House stores we recommend Etnia Barcelona to those of you who want a change in style with eyewear of top quality materials decorated by a touch of art!