Paloceras: The eyewear brand blurring the realms of fantasy and reality

We spoke to Co-founder Mika Matikainen about the brand’s new Marble Spectacle collection, design process, and plans to expand beyond eyewear

In an industry defined by cycles and seasonality, Paloceras is doing things differently. Founded in 2022 by designers Mika Matikainen and Alexis Perron-Corriveau, the eyewear brand has quickly gained attention for its sculptural pieces that blur the fringes between fantasy, objects, and reality.

The pair met a year earlier during their MAS programme Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship at ECAL, a Swiss institution infamous for producing some of the most forward-thinking innovators in the luxury industry. With teams based in Lisbon and Helsinki, and additional showrooms and workshops in La Coruña, London, and New York, Paloceras mirrors the wayfaring backgrounds of its founders.

Hailing from the Finnish city of Lahti, Matikainen had a roving career in the digital and design leadership landscape before settling in Helsinki to cofound the brand. The seeds of knowledge he cultivated whilst working in Berlin, London, New York, and Singapore are sown into the brand’s creative direction.

His friend and business partner, Perron-Corriveau, is also quite the globetrotter. Before relocating to Lisbon in 2021, he worked as a lead designer on event, spatial, industrial, and bespoke furniture projects in his hometown, Montreal. Perron-Corriveau brings his expertise in materiality to the table.

Paloceras frames are first conceived digitally, often gaining a wide online following before ever becoming physical objects. Once Matikainen and Perron-Corriveau give their nod of approval, the frames are produced using Mazzucchelli acetate and CR39 lenses, emphasising both material quality and visual clarity. Editions are intentionally limited, with some colourways released only once.

Their latest offering, Marble Spectacle, expands on their cult-favourite Pebble collection, featuring former French footballer Djibril Cissé as the face of the campaign. Available in pastel-coloured marbled acetate, these additions follow suit with previous Pebble drops — featuring bold forms inspired by natural shapes, executed with the kind of precision more often found in sculpture than fashion.

BELOW
Shoot 1 – Pebble Collection
See the full credits list at the bottom

In 2021, you met Alexis whilst studying in Lausanne, and within a year, you had already co-founded Paloceras. How did this idea to venture into business together come to fruition?

Alexis and I got to know each other during our MAS design programme at ECAL in Switzerland. Whenever we would go hiking or skiing in the Alps together, we would chat for hours about design and everything surrounding it.

At the end of the year, Alexis created a pair of sunglasses as part of his personal project. Watching that process – seeing the prototypes come to life and noticing people’s reactions – made us think that maybe we could start with eyewear. We’re still on that path.



What is your brand’s core mission?

We are building Paloceras for those who seek clarity, contradiction and creativity. Our mission is to challenge the eyewear category by creating pieces that are visually bold and emotionally resonant. Objects that spark curiosity and offer new ways of seeing. Each frame holds a tension between structure and softness, concept and craft, the visible and the hidden. ‘Fantasy eyewear’.

LEFT/TOP
Shoot 2
See the full credits list at the bottom

RIGHT/BOTTOM
Shoot 3
See the full credits list at the bottom

Who have you envisioned as the ideal wearer of your frames?

Our ideal wearers are those who move through the world with intent and imagination, working in creative fields, or at least, drawn to them. They are not looking for trends, but for meaning and presence. They care and pay attention to the details, and are concerned with how and why things are made. Our ideal wearers value independent thinking, visual clarity and a bit of quiet rebellion.



Although you and Alexis studied together, you come from very different design backgrounds. How exactly does that variation help or hinder your design process?

Coming from different design backgrounds helps our collaborative work more than it hinders. Our differences create fruitful friction, and from that friction comes something unexpected. Alexis is precise and grounded in material reality, whereas I am more conceptual – often pulling ideas from art, culture and abstract thinking. We trust each other’s strengths and leave room for the process to surprise us.

LEFT/TOP
Shoot 2
See the full credits list at the bottom

RIGHT/BOTTOM
Shoot 3
See the full credits list at the bottom

You previously launched the Puff and Soft Serve collections. Could you tell us more about the concepts behind those two collections?

Puff was our first experiment with volume and softness. The shapes were inflated, almost as if air was captured inside the frames. The collection played with comfort and exaggeration. Whereas, Soft Serve was about pleasure and melting boundaries. It had smoother curves and was meant to feel more fluid, more indulgent. Both were about exploring the edge between absurdity and wearability.

They were good experiments in finding the visual shape language for Paloceras. We didn’t care about physical limitations when designing them, and after creating that, to be honest, we had to scratch our heads a bit to find a way to make them physically solid products. The work we did with those two collections was the foundation for the Pebble collection.



Of all the sunglasses you have launched so far, which one is your favourite and why?

For me, it would probably be the ‘Velvet Rouge VX’ from the Pebble collection. Something existing and recognisable as a form in a new and unique way. 

ABOVE
Shoot 4
See the full credits list at the bottom

You recently launched your Marble Spectacle campaign, featuring a limited edition collection of pastel-coloured Pebble sunglasses. Could you tell us more about how you developed this cult-favourite style?

Pebble started from a simple gesture. We took raw acetate blocks and polished them by hand until they resembled smooth pebbles. That form became the soul of the collection. We then translated it into a modular design where each piece still felt organic and individual. The recent extension of the collection introduced a lot of new colour ways and two new shapes, they are meant to feel like they have been unearthed from another world.



For the campaign, you teamed up with the former French footballer Djibril Cissé. Why did you want to have him onboard?

Because he is unexpected and unforgettable. Djibril sees style as a form of expression and transformation. His bold energy meets the sculptural craft of Paloceras.

ABOVE
Shoot 4
See the full credits list at the bottom

You’ve walked us through the making of your most recent collection. Is this how you produce every collection?

The process begins with sketching and 3D modelling, followed by prototyping and testing materials. Before that, visiting a library and browsing books, maybe visiting a museum and bookshop, perhaps walking in a garden and looking closely at the details around us.

Each collection has its own rhythm and constraints. For Pebble, we focused on hand-finishing and tactility. For Haze, we explored digital printing and structural lightness. The approach evolves, but we always build the idea first and then find the right tools to realise it.



Are the sunglasses available with a prescription?

Not by default, but it’s possible to change the lens at a local optician. We’re focusing on the design, and the optician can take care of the individual needs of each customer. 

ABOVE
Shoot 5
See the full credits list at the bottom

Paloceras has showrooms, ateliers and workshops dotted in Helsinki, Lisbon, London, La Coruña and New York. Why was it important to establish a presence for the brand in these locations?

We have a design atelier in Lisbon and the HQ in Helsinki. In London, we have a workshop for our handmade creations. The team is in Lisbon and Helsinki, so naturally easy to have showrooms in these locations. The United States is a big market, so being present there is important. In La Coruña, Spain, we have a strategic partner, so it was good to have a presence there as well. 



Do you have any other cities in your sights?

We’re steadily expanding our network of retail partners into new countries. We might set up something for ourselves in Paris in the near future, but I don’t want to reveal too much about that yet…

ABOVE
Shoot 3
See the full credits list at the bottom

Where would you like to see Paloceras in the next five years?

As the most creatively influential eyewear brand in the world. We want to become the place where boundary-pushing ideas meet products people can actually wear. A home for bold expression and long-term vision. 



Are you currently working on any upcoming collections or projects? 

Of course! The optical line is coming. The titanium collection is coming. 3D-printed top-secret creations are coming. And objects of desire in other categories outside of eyewear are coming. We are also setting up our ‘Micro Factory’ in Finland to speed up experimentation. The idea is to blur the line between creation and release. Fantasy eyewear to the max.

BELOW
Shoot 1
See the full credits list at the bottom