1. What is ARIANOIR?

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1. Who we are:

 

i. An aria is the elaborate solo that defines an entire opera, the most complex and dramatic musical format, and arguably the art’s greatest achievement. Noir is French for “black,” which may be interpreted as melancholy, sophisticated, diverse, or perhaps all three. In a phrase, ARIANOIR can translate to “sophisticated originality.”

 

ii. ARIANOIR is fashion for designers. We are an independent label that is vertically-integrated, original, uncompromising in regards to quality, and constantly exploring the boundaries of art, sight and technology. 

 

iii. ARIANOIR provides its clientele with a refuge from “McFashion,” also known as fast fashion, which currently dominates the global apparel and accessories marketplace as never before. ARIANOIR is designed for sophisticated, successful people who value quality over quantity.

 

iv. Combined, “ARIA” and “NOIR” form a combustible compound, hinting at both a greater purpose and nuance. What you see when the words are combined will be different from what anyone else sees — a literary Rorschach test that provokes the mind to think in the languages of romance and the arts. The same is true of ARIANOIR’s fashions. Sight is subjective, but beauty is universal.

 

1. What we make:

 

i. “Product” is an ambiguous term used to describe virtually anything produced for profit, just as “content” has come to replace artistic terms like “film” and “record” to describe commercial art. In the mass marketplace, supply always follows demand; but in the case of art, there is no such thing as demand, only reaction to what is seen. You cannot know that you want something that has not yet been created or does not yet exist. Design is foresight; it anticipates what the audience will see. ARIANOIR makes wearable art pieces for explorers and connoisseurs — human beings who demand creativity.

 

ii. Fashion should not be something that you wear and later forget. Rather, fashion is an experience, a specific interplay between body, fabric, material, touch, sight and smell. Our apparel and accessories are experiential; the sight of a perfectly executed piece of wearable art embeds itself in our memory; the feelings of chic and luxe last long after the apparel is removed or the accessories set aside; the anticipation of a new experience is always present.

 

iii. Originality implies control — not only of ideas and designs, but also of materials and craftsmanship. Our baby alpaca wool is sourced from our own operations in Peru, and we have secured our own gold supplier for our eyewear line in order to ensure that we are not limited by supply chains or global markets, but only by our imaginations. Designs, like visual melodies, are constantly searching for refinement and new interpretations.

 

1. Why we are different:

 

i. A boutique is not about size or scale, but selectivity. A boutique brand such as ARIANOIR is borne of the boutique philosophy: “doing more with less.” Time spent creating and ideating takes away from time manufacturing, but taking time bothers us not at all. An idea must be fully formed in the mind before it can be created; it must be seen before it is made; and only a select number of people may express it. We do not make clothes in every size at every price point. We follow where the design leads us.

 

ii. “Niche” is a rarely-used term in the contemporary fashion industry. The point of fast fashion has been to shock and awe the consumer with vast selection and scale. Like an oversized menu at a chain restaurant, fast fashion’s endless racks of clothing exist not to delight or inspire, but to overwhelm the “veto” vote — to provide something for everyone, at any given time. Art, by definition, is a niche experience, a magical interaction between the creator and their audience. It may seem fleeting, but from that first sight, and that immediate interaction comes trust and, eventually, a relationship between the creator and the consumer. An artist must have both their muses and their fans.

 

iii. Because we are a niche label, there would be no point in doing what we do without a higher purpose. ARIANOIR’s purpose is to delight, to stimulate, to provoke, to luxuriate, to amuse, to intrigue, etc. In a word, our purpose is to be artful. As the novelist Fran Lebowitz once remarked, “the worst book is not the book that infuriates me; it’s the book that I forgot I was reading.” There is no emotion without connection; once you wear or see an ARIANOIR piece of clothing or accessory, you will never forget it.

 

1. Why we are the best.

 

i. Companies have customers. Fashion has fans, often referred to collectively as fashionistas. We have clients and hopefully a few fans, as well! When you approach fashion from a perspective of shared values, care is a by-product. We care about our clientele. We care about not just the fit and quality and look of our clothes and accessories, but of the entire experience. We interact with our clients wherever they are, and whether they are visiting our website or app, one of our stores, or not visiting us at all. They are our ambassadors, our muses, our eyes. Everything we do is an aria performed for them, and while some of the notes may change, the loving care is the same.

 

ii. If you need to hit all of the right notes, it helps to choose them very carefully and to know your own voice. Our imagination may be unlimited, but our “range” is not. In order to care for our clientele properly, we therefore keep our quantities low. No matter how much we grow, and no matter our organizational structure, our spirit will always be boutique and, to a large degree, partnership with our clients and ambassadors.

 

iii. Fashion is wearable art; its language is sight. Fashion has always been a business where the buyer is the ultimate performer. If you demand a La Scala-level performance, if you want the “Bravos!,” you must focus on the quality over the quantity. You must understand how and where the clothes are seen. Operas are not performed in stadiums, after all; every costume is designed with a particular stage and artist in mind. The tradeoff is that mass-producing such quality — of the experience as well as of the garment or accessory itself — is impossible. Unlike many high-end brands, we welcome this tradeoff and design to our own standards.

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2. ARCA EYEWEAR

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1. What are they?

 

i. Vision is everything. The proverb states that the eye is the window to the soul, yet it says nothing about how to frame it! ARCA picks up where the proverb left off, and begins with a deep respect for sight and geometry, specifically in crafting a uniquely-subtle shape centered with an elegant 18-karat gold “crown.”

 

ii. The eyes communicate our moods, thoughts and emotions; they constantly vacillate between order and chaos, sensing everything. Sight is our guide to the world, which can be beautiful or dangerous, sometimes both at the same time. The ARCA frame contextualizes this tension and calms it both geometrically and sensually.

 

iii. ARCA frames are crafted from cellulose acetate, a biodegradable, non-irritating polymer that is favored for many of its properties, chiefly heat resistance, nontoxicity, and being relatively less hygroscopic (i.e., less apt to take on moisture) than other materials. The naked eye will feel naked unless framed by something it trusts.

 

iv. While ARCA frames complement nearly every face, our heads vary greatly in size and shape. Many of us have tiny craniofacial anomalies that can make mass-market eyewear feel uncomfortable or even cause headaches. ARCA frames can therefore be adjusted at the temples by your optometrist for a perfect fit. Like an aria, every pair can express perfect symmetry and nuance, punctuated by the high note of that 18 karat gold “crown.”

 

1. What makes them so special?

 

i. ARCA is pure sight. And because ARCA eyewear is inspired by music, each pair must “sing” with the purest voice, which means 18-karat gold — the purest form of gold used in jewelry. The gold “crown” also communicates the quality of the design as a whole; to finish an accessory with such a pure material signals that no detail has been overlooked, and no expense spared.

 

ii. In order to safeguard the eyes and prevent undesirable wrinkles, ARCA eyewear’s lenses are not only polarized, but photochromic, automatically adjusting to the level of sunlight and providing the correct level of UV protection. Our clients should never squint in the sunlight, nor should they be pigeonholed into comically-large sunglasses. 

 

iii. Sight is the goal. Although ARCA eyewear is sold with its lenses included, in some cases clients may request prescription lenses, or retrofit existing eyewear with their own lenses, providing ultimate comfort and a truly bespoke experience. Through working with the client’s optometrist, we are able to oblige these requests in most instances.

 

1. Why should you buy ARCA?

 

i. We never lose sight of our uniqueness. ARIANOIR produces no more than 10,000 pairs of each ARCA collection worldwide. In other words, every pair is a limited edition. Unlike with other high-end eyewear, which is licensed by the brand to a manufacturer motivated to produce as many pairs as cheaply as possible, it is extremely unlikely that the wearer will encounter someone else wearing the same pair of ARCA eyewear anywhere in the world. By creating and marketing our own designs, ARCA maintains control not only of quality, but also of quantity.

 

ii. Also because we maintain control of our intellectual property, ARIANOIR is able to innovate much faster and more freely than the legacy fashion houses. For example, each pair of ARCA eyewear comes with a unique non-fungible token (NFT) that corresponds to that pair only. This not only gives the buyer the rights to a digital version of their eyewear, but embeds the owner’s information, the purchase date, as well as the product’s serial number and dealer (if any) in NFT metadata before the NFT is minted and delivered. Even if the physical glasses are misplaced or stolen, there will be a digital record of ownership.

 

iii. In addition, customers can customize the NFT with their own image and have it digitized by selected artists. In the future, you might add your ARCA glasses to a digital profile photo, for example, or your ARCA NFT might become your ticket to a special fashion show or concert in the Metaverse. The ARCA NFT signals that you are part of a select fashion and artistic community, and ARCA NFTs may also be traded within the ARIANOIR ecosystem as credits towards other store and digital items. And because the customer owns the NFT themselves, they are also free to take advantage of price appreciation by selling or trading their NFT on a number of global platforms and marketplaces, such as OpenSea.

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3. WARRANTY

1. ARIANOIR provides a 24-month warranty on all ARCA eyewear, which applies to frames sold or presented for warranty repair service.

2. Your ARCA frame is warranted against any manufacturing defect for a period of two years from the purchase data, subject to the following conditions: If your frame is returned within two years of purchase, any defect confirmed by our Customer Support team as a manufacturing defect will be, at our sole discretion, either replaced or repaired, free of charge. After two years, however, you will be charged the cost of any repairs. In order to keep your ARCA frames in perfect condition, however, we will provide free tune-ups, as needed, also within two years of purchase. However, your ARCA warranty does not cover: 1) damages resulting from accidents, mishandling or improper use, unauthorized alterations, manipulation or repair; 2) the lenses. You may be required to produce your ARCA warranty certificate or sales receipt, duly completed, dated, stamped and signed by the authorized retailer. Please be sure to retain your sales receipt and warranty certificate, if provided. 

3. We are real creators, not licensees. We do not employ chatbots or phone trees or call centers. As a client and collector of a piece of our wearable art, you will receive personalized attention, guaranteed. As with our products, we spare no expense when it comes to our services and our only question will be how we can make you even happier.