The Accessories Council has announced the finalists for its 2026 Design Excellence Awards, recognizing creativity, craftsmanship and innovation across the accessories industry.
The annual awards span multiple product categories, including eyewear. This year’s finalists are featured in the fall issue of Ac Magazine, where readers can explore the nominated designs before casting their votes.
Public voting is open until Monday, October 26. The winners will receive further recognition in the holiday issue of Ac Magazine.
Some fifty exhibitors are taking part in the SILMO d’Or in various categories, hoping to win this coveted award, a symbol of the quality of their work.
Children
EYELET – Leap by Eyelet — TOM EYEWEAR
KARAVAN KIDS – Zigzag — DESIGN EYEWEAR GROUP
PETIT BATEAU – St Malo 02 – VEVE — SEAPORT ODLM
STEPPER EYEWEAR – Stepper Eyewear Start
TÊTE À LUNETTES – Mini Sophia — CAROLINE ABRAM
Sport
BOLLÉ – Skyrun — SEAPORT ODLM
JULBO – Panora
NOGS – Maximus
OAKLEY – Shield Fusion™ — ESSILORLUXOTTICA
SCICON SPORTS – Aerobeam Titanium
Vision
CRIZAL – Crizal Natural Look — ESSILORLUXOTTICA
HOYA VISION CARE – MiYOSMART iQ
MEGA OPTIC – Evosight VR
OPHTALMIC COMPAGNIE – DYNAMI OSM
OPTOVISION – WIDR me
Low vision
ESCHENBACH OPTIK – Optaro® XL
KOBA VISION – Vocatex 4 Connect — ACCES’SOLUTIONS
LESA – Claudia
SEDRIS VISION – Sedris IA — ACCES’SOLUTIONS
Material / Equipment
ESSILOR INSTRUMENTS – TCB 900 — ESSILORLUXOTTICA
ID CONCEPTION X OLGA – Atelier Optimaker 2.0
NIDEK – PHANTOM™
RETINÉO – Rétinéo — TELEMEDEXPERT
TOPCON HEALTHCARE – Tera Dry Eye Imager
Technological innovation in eyewear
FROST – Flextip
IKOSSEYEWEAR – Concentric Circle – Infinite modular eyewear frame
LACLARÉE – Lunettes autofocus Laclarée
PIERO MASSARO – Cerniera a Baionetta
VUARNET – Racing 14 : First Cylindrical RX Shield
Smart Eyewear
EVEN REALITIES – Even G2
GETD & MARIENFELD – The Luxury AI glasses
RAY-BAN META – Meta Ray-Ban Display — ESSILORLUXOTTICA
Balanced Fusion unites ultralight SPX® and S-Titanium™ to create bold yet refined eyewear defined by contrast. Sculptural lines, expressive colours, distinctive shapes combine with Silhouette’s signature engineering to deliver exceptional comfort, lightness, precision in a contemporary collection designed for confident, everyday wear.
For over 70 years, COS has prided itself on its commitment to providing customers with unparalleled service and superior products. Founded in 1951 by Fred and Judith Hochstadter, with the specific goal of offering something truly innovative to independent eye care professionals in Canada, and based in Montreal, COS is a family-run business that represents a wide variety of high-quality frames. They are also Silhouette’s exclusive Canadian distributor since the brand was established in 1964.
The heart of COS business lies in the relationship with each client. The goal of the sales representatives and customer service team is to develop long-term, in-depth ties based upon customer-satisfaction and respect. With every interaction, COS dedicates itself to delivering the exact results that customers desire and their needs require. When it comes to offering truly top of the line service, COS is nothing short of groundbreaking.
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This fall’s eyewear story isn’t one look, it’s a handful of moods. Each one matters in the clinic if you know how to talk about it and how to stock for it. Patients will drift toward compact confidence, engineered detail, quiet colour, and handcrafted personality. What follows: a clear look at each trend, why it matters to your clinic, and practical, no nonsense ways to stock and present them.
Small Silhouettes, Compact Confidence
What it is: Tiny rounds, slim shields and shortened verticals, vintage DNA reworked for modern faces. These frames are confident, not fragile; they whisper rather than shout. Why it matters: Small verticals change lens geometry. Low bridges and shallow depths shift seg height requirements, tighten PD tolerances and affect vertex considerations, especially for progressives and presbyopes.
What to do: Keep a concise range of trusted short-verticals in both acetate and metal, ideally with adjustable bridge options. Make PD, seg height and vertex distance routine on every small-frame fitting. If you skip the details, these frames won’t perform the way patients expect. Designer voice:Miu Miu on the runway this season described eyewear that “loosely references a 1970s aesthetic, ensures privacy, all while amplifying an assertive gaze.”
Architected Frames, Tech that Reads like Jewelry
What it is: Layered metals, inset plates, printed components and hybrid builds that look engineered. Think sculptural detail and precise construction. Why it matters: These are statement objects with a very specific intended fit. Over-bending a printed inset or forcing a delicate hinge destroys balance and the look. What to do: Partner with brands that provide adjustment guides and spare parts. Train techs to make micro-adjustments and to escalate anything that feels fragile. Hold a few architected pieces as high-margin options; they’re great for spectacle appointments where the patient wants design cred.
Designer voice: Jean-François Rey on additive processes called 3D printing “a new opportunity” that unlocks “extreme design” and shapes you couldn’t make before.
Colour as Mood, Subtle, Deliberate Palettes
What it is: Warm ambers, muted petrols, soft blush tints and tasteful colour-blocking. It’s not about loud trends; it’s complexion work and seasonal tone. Why it matters: Colour changes how a face reads and can alter contrast for near tasks. A blush tint isn’t just cosmetic; for some presbyopes it improves reading comfort.
What to do: Offer clip-ons and tinting as a low-inventory seasonal upsell. Curate each collection into two or three dominant palettes so choices feel curated, not chaotic. Teach staff a simple line on how tint affects contrast. It makes the benefit real to patients.
Designer voice: Mehran Baghaie of Spectacle Eyeworks says he aims to “bring a fresh, new perspective on the geek-chic look,” which explains the playful colour pops and approachable quirks in his lines.
Handcrafted Personality, Story-driven Pieces
What it is: Hand-polished acetates, bespoke colourways and pronounced brows, frames that clearly show human attention. Why it matters: Artisan pieces sell on story and finish. Patients buying these expect a considered fit, origin details and attentive service.
What to do: Give artisan frames front-row display with short copy: origin, material, what makes the fit special. Arm staff with a 30-second pitch and factor fit/finish time into pricing, this is an experience purchase. Designer voice: Alain Mikli on craft: “With a pair of glasses, I can change somebody’s personality.”
Smarter Lenses, More Seamless Vision
Lens makers are shipping smarter optics: personalized progressives and digital-optimized designs (ZEISS ClearMind and comparable releases) widen near and intermediate zones, speed adaptation, and boost contrast for screen-heavy patients. At the same time, photochromics have leveled up. Transitions Optical’s new gradient and colour-shift formulations fade more smoothly, render colour truer, and react faster indoors and out. Together, these advances let you offer real, tangible upgrades that pair naturally with this fall’s small silhouettes and tinted looks: better reading comfort, fewer lens swaps, and a cleaner overall result.
Curate a tight edit that represents the season’s moods, measure and fit like it matters, and lean into lens and photochromic options that solve real patient needs. Do that, and style stops being just a sale and becomes real service.
About the Author:
Shan Khan, R.O
Shan Khan is an optician and educator passionate about advancing eye care and eyewear awareness in Canada. As Editor-in-Chief of Optik Magazine, she brings a keen industry perspective and a commitment to spotlighting innovation, style, and professionalism across the optical landscape.
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As part of its See. Hear. Next. campaign, opti 2027 is sharpening its focus on future‑ready technologies, partnerships and business opportunities. A key example is opti SMART TECH, a new special area debuting in 2027 that will serve as a dedicated hub for smart eyewear, wearables, hearables and connected applications.
In an interview, opti Director Cathleen Kabashi explains that “Next.” is not a slogan but a commitment to making emerging technologies commercially relevant for optics and hearing care. She highlights the strength of the DACH market, where highly skilled professionals and globally recognized technology leaders create an ideal environment for testing and adopting new innovations.
Kabashi notes that technology, optics and hearing care are converging rapidly, while digital services and evolving customer expectations are reshaping professional roles. Formats such as opti SPHEARE, TOMORROW VISION, opti FINE EYEWEAR and the expanded opti DESIGN STAGE illustrate how future themes are becoming tangible across the show floor.
For exhibitors, “Next.” means early access to decision‑makers, retailers, users and potential technology partners. Kabashi also emphasizes the importance of start‑ups, young talent and business succession in shaping the industry’s future.
Ultimately, she says, opti aims to inspire the industry to take its next step—toward new technologies, new partnerships and new business models.
Academy 2026 Anaheim showcased major research, innovation and leadership in optometry, featuring landmark studies, new Fellows and advances shaping the future of eye care.
ZEISS gathered eye care professionals in Vancouver for the Myopia Innovation Summit, introducing MyoActive and showcasing evidence based strategies for myopia management.
Learn how early optometry practice succession planning can improve practice value, reduce owner dependence, protect tax eligibility, and create a smoother transition.
CIBC Commercial Banking is stepping into Canadian optometry through a new collaboration with Eye Care Business Canada, debuting with a webinar on buying an optometric practice.
Academy 2026 Anaheim showcased major research, innovation and leadership in optometry, featuring landmark studies, new Fellows and advances shaping the future of eye care.
ZEISS gathered eye care professionals in Vancouver for the Myopia Innovation Summit, introducing MyoActive and showcasing evidence based strategies for myopia management.
Learn how early optometry practice succession planning can improve practice value, reduce owner dependence, protect tax eligibility, and create a smoother transition.
CIBC Commercial Banking is stepping into Canadian optometry through a new collaboration with Eye Care Business Canada, debuting with a webinar on buying an optometric practice.
Academy 2026 Anaheim showcased major research, innovation and leadership in optometry, featuring landmark studies, new Fellows and advances shaping the future of eye care.
ZEISS gathered eye care professionals in Vancouver for the Myopia Innovation Summit, introducing MyoActive and showcasing evidence based strategies for myopia management.
Learn how early optometry practice succession planning can improve practice value, reduce owner dependence, protect tax eligibility, and create a smoother transition.
CIBC Commercial Banking is stepping into Canadian optometry through a new collaboration with Eye Care Business Canada, debuting with a webinar on buying an optometric practice.
Academy 2026 Anaheim showcased major research, innovation and leadership in optometry, featuring landmark studies, new Fellows and advances shaping the future of eye care.
ZEISS gathered eye care professionals in Vancouver for the Myopia Innovation Summit, introducing MyoActive and showcasing evidence based strategies for myopia management.
Learn how early optometry practice succession planning can improve practice value, reduce owner dependence, protect tax eligibility, and create a smoother transition.
CIBC Commercial Banking is stepping into Canadian optometry through a new collaboration with Eye Care Business Canada, debuting with a webinar on buying an optometric practice.
