Simon Jablon talks about the energy of confidence and his iconic mother Linda Farrow

In 2003, the heartbeat of the Linda Farrow eyewear brand began to pulsate again after a warehouse find. Founded by the eponymous power woman in the 70s, her son Simon Jablon revived the brand successfully.

Please tell us about your mother's work and what it means to you!

My Mother is a free spirit, her work reflects someone who did not see boundaries and only what is possible. The focus was on creating new ideas and adding fun and fashion to all of her designs. When she first started back in 1970 sunglasses were a product category that was male-dominated and a bit boring, she changed all of that. Her work shows a fun soul and that gives me a lot of joy!

You found her pieces stored in a warehouse 20 years ago and revived the brand based on this rich archive. Has your mother ever been involved in the design process of the new company?

She still inspires me every day but she is no longer involved in the company. I have tried to show her my work and get her feedback but she actually feels an artist should not critique another artist. She says that if she listened to people who critiqued her, she would not have designed half of what she did. She wants me to design with freedom and follow my gut feelings. I really respect that and something I would like to pass on to my own children.

The brand first established itself in the 70s - a time when sunglasses were extravagant and huge. Quite the opposite from the current 90s trend with small square-shaped glasses. What's your favourite shape when it comes to sunglasses?

I don’t really have a favourite shape because this is fashion, there shouldn’t be one and that’s it. We evolve and try new things. If you ask at this moment in time I can tell you, but in a couple of years, it would have changed. Linda Farrow is a luxury fashion accessory brand, we grow and learn every day. That is what keeps it exciting.

"Linda Farrow is more than my mother; she is an energy and muse for the brand."

Speaking of inspiration, please tell us about your creative process!

Linda Farrow is more than my mother; she is an energy and muse for the brand. So, the starting point is putting that energy in a place and time. So, you absorb the elements of that era and location, but in a way that Linda would view it from her perspective. From there the ideas flow!

Designers often have muses. Do you have one or even more?

Linda herself is our muse. But I also love the energy of other strong, confident women. Such as Kate Moss, Rihanna, and Dua Lipa to name a few. It’s their energy and carefree confidence mixed with elegance, style, and personality.

Do you design at night, in the morning or is it more or less happening when you feel inspired?

There is no time set to design, the brain is always working and looking into why and how that thought process always brings ideas.

What would you consider the typical Linda Farrow sunglass shape? Is there one?

We have a DNA of London 1970, so of course, the more oversized would be a somewhat our signature. But we are a fashion brand so those trends change all the time.s.

What was the most memorable moment for you in the brand's history since you relaunched it in 2003?

There are so many, we have been very lucky and blessed with moments of joy and inspiration. I’m just very lucky to be on a journey with an incredible team around me that we can all share those moments together and create more moments in the future. A proud moment recently for me was when we celebrated 50 years of Linda Farrow at the beginning of 2020. We partnered with an amazing women’s charity (Smart Works charity) here in the UK and asked 50 inspirational women to model in our campaign from different industries such as art, music, film, publishing, food, fashion, and the corporate world. The campaign shoot was particularly authentic to us as a brand as it was inspired by my mother who was a pioneer in her own career and it also featured her wearing a pair of glasses from the collection.

Sunglasses shaped pop culture like no other accessory. What's the iconic moment you have in mind when it comes to celebrities and sunglasses?

For us, I guess Lady Gaga in her 'Paparazzi' video. She was at the peak of her career and this video was iconic. Our sunglasses were front and centre. Following that shortly after Beyoncé wearing the same pair with Lady Gaga in the Telephone video was pretty massive for u