They say eyes are windows to the soul—part of that is eyewear. When thinking of icons like Elton John, eyewear is what comes to mind. Vintage Frames Company, a premiere eyewear designer, opened its first US flagship store in Miami Beach at The Goodtime Hotel. Corey Shapiro, fashion historian and Vintage Frames founder and CEO put a futuristic spin on Miami Vice decor and Art Deco aesthetics, with help of designer Atelier Zébulon Perron. Attendees included Quincy, Christian Combs, DJ Irie, Food God, The Shoe Surgeon, and Crime By Design.

To celebrate the opening, Vintage Frames Company is launching a series of exclusive, limited collaborations in store, in partnership with artist Alec Monopoly, VeeFriends CEO and creator Gary Vaynerchuk, and others. Over a year in the making, the Alec Monopoly collab draws on Monopoly’s dollar sign logo for the acetate frames. Monopoly also did a live installation at the flagship opening.

“For this collaboration, it was about functionality and utilizing a brand-new canvas for myself, but a familiar one for my fans. I can take the Alec Monopoly x Vintage Frames sunglasses anywhere around the world. And what’s more Miami than a beautifully designed pair of shades?” Monopoly said.  

The Gary Vaynerchuk frames are inspired by a VeeFriends Forthright Flamingo NFT character, which constructs the arms of the frame and features pink multiflash lenses. They’ll be available online and in-store December 1, and VeeFriends NFT holders will get early access to the frames before they go public. 

“I'm a big fan of what Vintage Frames has been doing. I'm always looking to do creative collaborations that bring value to the community," says Gary Vaynerchuk. 

Vintage Frames Company will also debut a hand-curated exhibit of rare vintage eyewear, including runway frames seen in Elton John’s collection, 1950s Masquerade frames from Pinault, 1960s Pierre Cardin runway frames, and from the 1980s Alain Mikli x Claude Montana collection. The archive will also include eyewear from the Gucci GG series, Christian Dior Y2K pieces, and a collaboration with Marc Jacobs, Nigo, and Pharrell Williams.

“I’ve spent the past two decades curating the most comprehensive historical eyewear and sunglasses collection ever displayed and available to own for a Miami Beach Flagship,” Shapiro said. “The curated collection mixes iconic pieces from the runway to the biggest cultural grails that are available to own.”