LAS VEGAS—During Vision Expo West, Vision Monday sat down one-on-one with the newest Transitions brand ambassador and fashion designer, Christian Siriano as he discussed his new role with Transitions as well as his broader design methods and style approach.

In July of this year, Siriano hosted an exclusive event on the Curated NYC rooftop to unveil a specially designed collection in collaboration with Transitions Light Intelligent Lenses, his 2018 resort collection and the Transitions style colors and Transitions style mirror lenses.

While Siriano has been a fashion designer for 10 years, stepping into eyewear was a change of perspective more so than an outright challenge.

“Maybe the challenge is that there are so many things in eyewear that I didn’t know existed. It’s been interesting and fun,” he said. And when it comes to accessories, his philosophy boils down to the idea that people have their uniform, but accessories are a way to push the envelope. He added, that “people thought for a long time that only a sunglass could be cool, and I think it’s just not that way anymore. I like the idea that a great optical frame can still look stylish and interesting.”

His partnership with Transitions has been a way to expand upon the company’s approach of fashion merging with utility and that’s the concept that he’d like to share with others about Transitions.

“You can always still be really stylish, cool and fashionable but live your daily life. I think that’s what’s been great about working with the Transitions team. As a wearer of glasses my whole life, it’s nice that they can look cool and still be functional,” Siriano said.