AHEAD of Peaky Blinders' final season, Glasgow-based eyewear company Iolla looked back on being asked to design frames for protagonist Tommy Shelby.
After being approached in 2018 by costume designer Alison McCosh, IOLLA founder and frame designer Stefan Hunter worked closely with the BBC production –producing various prototypes and attending a pre-filming fitting with actor Cillian Murphy – to ensure the frames were the perfect fit for his character.
Played by Cillian Murphy, the protagonist of Peaky Blinders looked to Glasgow for his eyewear inspiration, donning a pair of bespoke IOLLA glasses in 2019’s fifth season.
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Whilst Tommy Shelby's exact glasses are not available to buy, following huge customer demand IOLLA designed a similar, retro-style frame, meaning that fans of the show can replicate Tommy’s look for themselves in time for the final season with the classic "MacDonald" frames.
The petite, statement-making frames bring Peaky Blinders’ vintage style to life, with signature IOLLA engraved tips. Fans can also visit one of IOLLA’s welcoming showrooms to learn about the design process in more detail, and even take a closer look at some early prototypes.
Stefan Hunter, founder of IOLLA said: “The culmination of a huge amount of hard work and collaboration, it’s been a joy to see such an iconic character wear a pair of IOLLA frames.
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"When we were approached in the summer of 2018, we couldn’t have imagined the journey we would go on with the production and it’s really incredible to have our homegrown business be part of Peaky Blinders history. We can’t wait to see how things will end for the famous Tommy Shelby!”
The sixth and final season of Peaky Blinder is set to be released this Sunday, after filming was initially delayed due to the pandemic.
Early 2021 saw members of the production's cast and crew journey up to Scotland, filming in the seaside town of Portsoy in Aberdeenshire, which was converted into a French fishing village – with locals and other Scottish actors cast as background extras.
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