Big Horn
As featured in the Ac Magazine Eyewear Issue.
Kevin Ching, founder of Big Horn Eyewear, launched his company in 2011 with the intention of offering customers an array of unisex optical and sunglass frames that go above and beyond the standard fashion choices. Citing the inspirational influence of Yves St. Laurent — whose designs for women in the 1960s borrowed from menswear trends — Ching hopes his designs will lead to a similar revolution within the eyewear industry by creating gender-less designs that draw from a multi-cultural backdrop. “I think I am so lucky that I am living in Hong Kong now,” he said. “Hong Kong is a mix of different cultures, not only Chinese and English but also the cultures of India, Thailand, Vietnam, and America.” Elements of global art, design, and fashion, he adds, are key to the popularity of his brand.
But perhaps one of the more interesting components of Ching’s design philosophy is his emphasis on bending the rules. For example, many of his frames don’t have lenses, a fact that separates his designs from the original purpose of eyewear and carries the collection into the realm of simple adornment. You could say many of his frames are like jewelry for the face; their sole purpose is to add beauty or dimension or a bit of flare to whoever is wearing them. “My design and design concept have no boundaries, no rules, no formula, and no guidelines,” he explains. “I can apply different concepts, ideas, cultures, and materials to make new designs.”
Before turning to eyewear, Ching studied business and worked in the aviation industry as an engineer. His love of geometric shapes — a holdover from his aviation days — is often apparent in his designs. “I love to use different geometric figures to create my styles and designs for people. People will not be bored with my designs because of the many choices. On some designs, I tried to mix different geometric figures to create new eyewear like those in the Fashion Creative Collection.”
The core values of Big Horn Eyewear are creativity, uniqueness, strength and being outstanding, Ching said. “I mainly want to design something special for people. It is because I always believe that people can wear any style of eyewear.” There are four collections under the Big Horn umbrella: Fashion Creative Collection, Extravaganza Collection, Premium Collection, and Big Horn Plus Collection. Each offers a broad range of styles and price points.
Big Horn is also focused on sustainability and since 2018 has been using bio-degradable acetates for production. In 2023, Big Horn added Carl Zeiss bio-based lenses to his offerings along with bio-based nose pads from Italy. The company is also trying to reduce the amount of plastics in support of sustainable materials while continuing to offer the same quality and durability standards.
Ching is an award-winning designer; among his prizes are an ‘A’ Design Award, MUSE Design Award, International Design Award, and London Design Award. Big Horn Eyewear will be showing at Vision Expo East for the first time in March and will also be participating in the Ac Showcase in May.