The Founder and Creative Director of BLAKE KUWAHARA EYEWEAR and Los Angeles-based boutique design firm FOCUS GROUP WEST, Blake Kuwahara is recognized as one of the preeminent designers in eyewear today. He launched his eponymous collection of exclusive sunglasses and optical frames in January 2015.

Kuwahara, who has a doctorate of optometry degree from UC Berkeley and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude distinctions from UCLA, first gained international acclaim as the creator of KATA Eyewear. His groundbreaking use of engineering and production techniques to create texture and detail reinvented the way eyewear design is approached today. Kuwahara has also designed eyewear collections for Carolina Herrera, John Varvatos, Isaac Mizrahi, Coach, Converse, Rock & Republic, as well as for Hanae Mori.

Kuwahara’s bold experimentation and innovation have gained him a following in the fashion media and has been profiled in Vogue, ELLE, Bazaar, GQ, In Style, and Esquire and has been seen on E!, Access Hollywood, MTV, and CNN. Buzz magazine named Kuwahara one of the “100 Coolest People in Los Angeles”, and Detour magazine called him “a gifted talent, blessed with savvy and unmistakable sense of style.”

Kuwahara has garnered a multitude of awards for his designs including I.D. magazine’s Best of Category in Consumer Products and the Silmo d’Or – Prix Special Journalists de Mode.
Kuwahara sits on the Board of the Eyewear Designers of the CFDA.