Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Jul 26, 2024
After the Academy Award-winning success that was ‘Poor Things’, Yorgos Lanthimos stepped back into the spotlight for his directorial return. ‘Kinds of Kindness’. While ‘Kinds of Kindness’ was received happily by critics and film buffs alike, the fashion community has found new inspiration within Lanthimos’ films. From ‘Poor Things’ and the avant-garde costumes in this created world, to the real-life inspiration of ‘Kinds of Kindness’, there is something for fashionistas alike, including Selima Salaun. Selima Salaun, founder and designer of Selima Optique, has just released her second collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos to create a sunglasses line inspired by ‘Kinds of Kindness’.
Selima Salaun is one of the most prominent sunglasses designers, working with Bono, Liv Tyler, and Madonna to create their own custom frames. After studying in Paris and becoming a licensed optometrist and optician, Salaun began her career with Royal Optique, a European luxury eyewear company. In 1993, Salaun opened her first boutique in New York City, combining traditional styles and new trends to create a timeless frame.
Selima Salaun is the creative director and visionary for this project, meaning that she has a distinct process for the creative collaboration of screen stories and sunglasses. “My job is to blend both the creative and the technical- I am quite literally, framing it. It is a mix of my creative instincts, imagination, and technical knowledge. I am telling a story on my own, and continuing the story on the screen.” Salaun `says. “When I design for myself, I get ideas from what I see in my life: people on the street, architecture, movies I see, actors on the screen. While I am always on the hunt for inspiration, it seems more often than not it finds me instead.”
In 2023, Selima Optique was presented the opportunity to collaborate with Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’. The film itself offered inspiration for the sunglasses line through the costumes that grace the screen. Salaun states “When the team at Searchlight approached me to work on Poor Things, there was a clear vision to execute. We had access to that one amazing image of Bella in sunglasses from the film to work off of, and of course, we put our own creative and functional touch on the frames.”
While there were a few pairs of frames in ‘Poor Things’ for Selima Optique to find inspiration in, the collaboration between Selima Optique and ‘Poor Things’ did not come without challenges, especially due to the holidays occurring while ‘Poor Things’ was hitting theatres. Selima Salaun says of the ‘Poor Things collaboration, “timing was the biggest challenge, it was a miracle to be able to do the production in time. It was karmic intervention, it had to happen, it was meant to happen. It was before Christmas, we had 2 weeks, everything was closing.” Thankfully, the collection was able to drop on time, and the ‘Poor Things’ collaboration was such a success that Searchlight came back for more.
‘Kinds of Kindness’ is a different story, within the film itself and the collaborative process on the sunglasses line. ‘Kinds of Kindness’ tells three different stories, almost like three short films in one feature. The first story deals with a man taking control of his own life, a policeman who feels his wife is not who she says she is, and a woman searching for someone with supernatural abilities. Each of these stories are not only tied together through the cast, but a character named RMF who is featured in all three stories, as well as the titles of each.
When Selima Salaun and her team were presented with a second opportunity to collaborate with Lanthimos’ latest film, they had a plan in place to find designs and tell their own story. “For ‘Kinds of Kindness’, the first step was Searchlight invited me to the movie screening. Of course, Yorgos Lanthimos is one of my favorite directors. Going into the film I had a plan to pick a character to base the frames off of.” Salaun said. “The movie had Six main characters, so I knew I had to design a frame for everybody- that anyone in the movie or in real life can wear. It is versatile chic . They look great on everyone- not too feminine and not too masculine, strong but subtle, sexy but anonymous. Anyone can be an RMF (Random Mother Fucker).”
The ‘Kinds of Kindness’ collaboration, though timing-wise, was more convienent than ‘Poor Things’ still revealed its own kinds of challenges, as the film did not feature many pairs of sunglasses within its costuming, as well as many points of inspiration and characters to look at. “‘Kinds of Kindness’ was a blank page type of a challenge, but I was inspired by the storyline to create something versatile, unisex, and classic. Watching the movie, I kept asking myself who am I going to design for? Jesse? Emma Stone? Sandra? Which character am I going to choose? 3 movies in one movie, and each character takes on a different role in each movie,” Salaun says. ‘Kinds of Kindness’, due to the plethora of characters and stories felt like a buffet of inspiration and ideas that could be thought of within the two-hour and forty-four-minute run time. “After the third one, it just made sense: I knew I had to design a frame for everybody- that anyone in the movie can wear.”
The new shades from Selima Optique are available both online and in-store at Selima Optique’s locations in New York City and Paris. Both the ‘Bella’ sunglasses and ‘RMF’ sunglasses are still available for purchase. “Both projects were so much fun to work on, bringing to life these stories in a new way, in a new medium- through eyewear. I am so excited to see more Bellas and Random Mother Fuckers on the streets…if you know, you know.” Selima says. ‘Kinds of Kindness’ is also available to watch in theatres today.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
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