Growing up, I hated my glasses. In third grade, they were red and round. Come middle school, steel gray and wire-rimmed. In high school, I upgraded to thick, black and heavy. My frames may have changed, but the way I felt when I put them on – like a complete and utter nerd – remained constant.

If only I had eyewear from Tupé by Carla Di Sí, Argentina’s only eyewear designer. Tupé frames are fresh and funky, elevating glasses from vision correction devices to stylish accessories. Some frames feature striking neon-colored stripes; others come adorned with delicate flowers. All are completely cool and infinitely wearable.

“I think about the wearer first, and then I do the drawing,” Carla tells me. “In my mind, there is always a person behind the glasses I design.”

Each of Carla’s pieces is limited-edition, handcrafted in Argentina using Italian acetate sheets and plastic molds based off her original designs. A single model calls for five to ten molds, with more handiwork required for adornments like metal roses or little stone spiders, of which Carla is a fan.

The eyewear industry is nothing new for Carla; she comes from three generations of opticians, and her grandfather founded one of the first opticals in Buenos Aires. An eyeglass wearer since the age of four, she always dreamed of designing a collection that reflected her own personality.

“I was born in eyewear!” she says. “For me, this object is far more than another accessory. It is part of my identity.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Carla Di Sí