Getting back to first loves
With a background in illustration and graphic design, Stephanie Slobodian’s career led her to leadership roles in big tech. Wanting to get back to more creative design roots, she traveled to Florence Italy to study eyewear design at the Polimoda Fashion institute in the summer of 2025 and returned to launch This Frameworks, a business selling independent eyewear. She also partnered with a direct to consumer prescription lens lab and worked in their shop to learn all angles of the eyewear business.
Stephanie combined her design approach for User Experience and applied it to designing eyewear. By selling her frames in the lens shop she gained hands-on experience spending time with customers to understand fit & style and eyewear pain points. She designs frames that treat structural geometry not just as a visual statement, but as a direct extension of identity.
Collection inspiration
The Echo of the 60s & 70s Modernism Transformed
The Cercle Square collection draws deep inspiration from the cultural and technological parallels of the 1960s and 1970s—an era defined by rapid innovation, space exploration, the birth of broadcast television, and radical shifts in personal identity. Much like today, it was a time of immense technological acceleration paired with a search for new human expression.
Cercle Square translates this spirit into high design geometry:
Organic curves and motion (The Feminine): Soft, sweeping curves that move fluidly across the face, inspired by fluid mid-century forms, brings a lively expression that is full of movement and delight.
Bold Structural Lines (The Masculine): Robust, intentional angles that deliver a commanding architectural statement that satisfies the design forward and confident wearers.
Style Icons & High Design Influences
The collection channels the fluid defiance of iconic pop culture like Catherine Deneuve who brought YSL’s Le Smoking tuxedo to life and the gender-bending style confidence of Mick Jagger and David Bowie. It pays homage to the golden age of mid-century industrial design—both architecture and furniture drawing structural cues from Charles and Ray Eames’ ergonomic balance of the Eames chairs and Dieter Rams’ functionalist mastery in the 620 chair and system.
Premium Italian Acetate and Italian & German HInges
Crafted by Hand in Utah (LFVR): Precision-milled and hand-finished by master artisans at LFVR in Utah, ensuring small-batch craftsmanship with exact ergonomic fit.
24 Unique Variations: 4 curated frames × 3 custom colorways × 2 lens options (Optical & Sunglasses).
Mazzucchelli acetate: The high-grade, plant-based cellulose acetate made from natural cotton and wood pulp by the historic Italian company Mazzucchelli 1849