What does Ryan Agoncillo see in ic! berlin?

First, there was Jack. Then, Peggy, Juri, Max, and Phil P. came, too. More followed soon after, a whole bunch of them, in fact. They were each packed into cylindrical white plastic cases with a distinctive mark, ready to be shipped to distant shores and dazzle the eyes of their wearers.

Ralph Anderl and his celebrity friends Corinna Harfouch and Peter Lohmeyer founded ic! berlin gmbh in February, 1999 although their eyewear already caught the eye of the public a year earlier. Their innovative eyewear got people talking. Well, back in their Berlin office, the three good friends were doing a lot of talking, too.

Their aim was to come up with an eyewear that was revolutionary, sophisticated and functional at the same time. It was going to be an eyewear in a class of its own. The task may have beeen daunting, but for Ralph and his associates, it was all in a day’s work.

It took a lot of work and a bit of inspiration. Sir Karl Raimund Popper’s 12 rules of scientific methodology became Ralph’s guidelines. The years proved that Ralph and his friends had done something right. Then there are the awards they have received: Simply Genius award from MDR Germany and Golden Silmo eyewear award in Silmo Paris in 1998; second prize at the Eyewear Awards in Milan of 1999; Red Dot Award Product Design of 2002 in Germany, and Glasses of the Year for 2000, 2001, and 2005 at IOFT Tokyo.

Now you see what others see in a pair of ic! berlin. More, there’s always one to fit anyone’s lifestyle. Like that of TV host/actor Ryan Agoncillo, who immediately knew ic! berlin was the right eyewear for his needs. He gushes, "ic! berlin is the perfect frame if you want to wear something light and comfortable. You can actually forget it’s there. I wear eyeglasses all the time and sometimes, if the frame is not too comfortable, you can be sore in the bridge of your nose and in your temples as the day progresses."

Indeed, Ralph and his team have made an eyewear that’s lightweight and sleek. Their parts are detachable and easy to clean, too. Did I mention they’re also screw-less? Yup, there’s not a single screw in sight in any of the ic! berlin creations. And just what would this mean for us? Well, ask Ryan. "It’s screw-less, so no matter how many times you put your glasses on and off, you have no fear of loosening a screw like what happens with ordinary eye frames. It’s fun to wear something so extraordinary, you can take apart the whole frame on your own without any tools. You have no fear of dirt build-up."

There’s another reason why this eyewear merits a second look. I’ve got two words for you: sheet metal. These are thin pieces of metal that are usually less than 6 mm. They can practically be cut and bent without much difficulty.

Sheet metal-made glasses mean that they’re incredibly light so that it would almost feel like you’re wearing nothing. Adjustments for the wearer’s comfort can easily be done, too. They’re also quite durable, making them almost indestructible.

Well, ic! berlin eyewear has made quite a durable name for itself. It has earned a good following the world over. It has walked the European catwalks. Tokyo’s wild about them. More and more Hong Kong shops are offering ic! berlin.

A pair of ic! berlin prescription glasses makes a good investment. A plain sheet metal pair costs 13,995 while a colored one is about P16,995. Considering you can use them for a lifetime, you’re still looking at a pretty good buy.

There’s a variety of styles to choose from, with pretty good names, too, like Heidi, Julie, Igor, Damien, Akira, Paxton, etc. If you were to ask Ryan though, a pair of black Paxton is the way to go. He likes black since it goes well with anything.

ic! berlin eyewear is available at the Sarabia Optical store at the Power Plant Mall in Rockwell. Pretty soon, you can also check out ic! berlin in selected optical shops nationwide.