Designing the Future of Eyewear
How an unlikely leap from the exam room to the design studio reshaped an industry.
Some careers are carefully mapped. Others begin with curiosity, instinct, and a willingness to say yes to an unexpected opportunity. For Blake Kuwahara, one of the most influential names in contemporary eyewear design, it has been a remarkable blend of both.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Kuwahara was drawn equally to science and creativity. As a high school student, a NASA research grant let him study the effects of steroids on tooth development — enough exposure to medicine to confirm his interest, even as it ruled out dentistry as his path. At UCLA, he pursued a degree in psychobiology while also exploring interior design, an early sign that analytical rigor and artistic instinct would one day meet in his work.