«Read on light reading glasses recognised for
design excellence»
read on light readers recognized by Wallpaper* Magazine
The nifty, super lightweight read on light reading glasses have been awarded Highly Commended in the Most Wonderful Wearable category of the prestigious Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards. In a statement about the product by Wallpaper*, the judging body stated: “Beautifully packaged and presented, the glasses turn a hitherto overlooked object into something that’s highly desirable.”
The Wallpaper* Smart Space Awards celebrate those things that acknowledge the importance of longevity, simplicity and sustainability, as well as enduring quality, fitness for purpose, and good design. This accolade is designed to stand as distinguished recognition, highlighting each brand’s dedication to delivering creativity of the highest calibre.
‘read on light’ is a new super light reading glasses concept by Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, the co-founders of Sol Sol Ito, a Swiss independent eyewear label established in 2012. The readers have a bold colourful and contemporary design, created according to the traditional principles of Swiss design: precision, perfection, zeitgeist + innovation. read on launched their first product in 2021, a super thin design of handy, lightweight TR90 reading glasses which can be stored discreetly inside a smartphone case. Feedback from this first launch showed that the market lacked a super slim contemporary reading glasses product with its own convenient case. Find out more: https://www.readon-mobile.com
– eyestylist, 10/2024
«Read on light:
foldable reading glasses design»
Zurich, Switzerland – read on, a Swiss reading glasses design company at the forefront of eyewear innovation, is proud to announce the launch of its latest innovation: ‘read on light’ - ultra-thin, lightweight, and highly flexible reading glasses, made of a high-quality, skin-friendly eyewear material (TR90). At only three millimetres, ‘read on light’ is one of the thinnest reading glasses on the market and offers the most colorful, contemporary eye-catching style – and practical, functional design.
‘read on’ was founded by Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, eyewear innovators who established the fashionable Swiss eyewear brand ‘Sol Sol Ito’ and have won a number of prestigious design awards, including the German Design Award, the Good Design Award and most recently, the Red Dot Design Award. Three years ago, the team launched their first reading glasses product: slim, foldable reading glasses which fit neatly inside a smartphone case.
“read on light, our latest innovation, has been developed as the ultimate lightweight reading glasses product, with a fresh design, an ultra-convenient hard case and benefits such as skin-friendly materials,” said Sandra Kaufmann, industrial designer and co-founder of ‘read on’. “At Mido, where we have shown the product for the first time, the feedback we received was overwhelming. Opticians, distributors and eyewear enthusiasts from all over the world are very interested in ‘read on light’.”
Monika Fink, design artist and ‘read on’ co-founder, added: “We have developed the read on light collection with a minimal hard case that is easy to carry around and keep track of; the readers come in a selection of five, bright fashionable colovrs that have instant appeal. The interest and success we saw in Milan shows ‘read on light’ is a product innovation the optical industry has been waiting for.”
The new read on light glasses have been launched worldwide at the MIDO fair, Milan in February 2024. Every pair of read on light readers comes with a slim color-blocked hard case.
The product is currently available in the following colors: red, violet, jade, blue, black and yellow. A convenient, neck/shoulder strap accessory is available in matching colors. The strap features a silicone holder for ease of wear.
– Eyezone International, 4/2024
«read on, always lighter and thinner»
The Swiss start-up at the head of eyewear innovation presents its latest "red on light" innovation: ultra-thin, light and very flexible unisex reading glasses that are manufactured using a high-quality eyeglass material (TR90). Only three millimeters thick, "read on light" is one of thinnest reading glasses on the market. They fold up to slide into an ultra-thin and rigid protective case, available in five colors. The creators Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, founders of the trendy eyeglass brand Sol Sol Ito and winners of many prestigious prizes, including the German Design Award, the Good Design Award and, most recently, the Red Dot Award, reinvented the design of reading glasses with their latest innovation.
– TRENDS BY SILMO, 8/2024
«Read on, Shocking Chic Eyewear»
Eyewear innovators Sandra Kaufmann and Monica Fink searched for the perfect frame to fit them correctly before establishing their cutting-edge Swiss eyewear brand, Sol Sol Ito. “We both wear glasses, me for distance and Monika for better close-up vision,” Sandra told Eyestylist online. “With our different optical prescriptions, we felt this was a good starting point. Our brand name came from Sausalito, the seaside town north of San Francisco.”
After an apprenticeship in design engineering, Monika studied sculptural art in Barcelona and Geneva, and Sandra worked as an industrial engineer with years of experience in the Swiss watch industry. While a student, she desired to work at French industrial architect and engineer Philippe Starck's studio. Instead, she worked and learned extensively about glasses from Alain Mikli, his close friend and collection eyewear partner, whose creative designs have captured the imagination of glasses wearers worldwide.
The two women stay true to their individual approaches and reference traditional Swiss values, precision and perfection, relating to the contemporary demand for sustainability, authenticity and individuality. “We connect selected materials with careful craftsmanship and the newest innovation in manufacturing.” Sol Sol Ito’s accolades include the Swiss Design Award in 2013, the Red Dot Award in 2014, the Creative Hub Winner and the Pro Helvetia Matching Grant in 2019.
Their eyewear is deeply influenced by the Bauhaus movement founded in Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius. The Staatliches Bauhaus was an art school operating from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts. Its radical concept reimagined the material world to reflect the unity of the arts, emphasising simplicity and high-quality craftsmanship in the brand’s glasses. Each frame is a limited edition with 50 pairs produced.
Sol Sol Ito has earned global recognition for its innovative and stylish frames since its inception in 2012, blending avant-garde aesthetics with practical functionality. The brand’s meticulous design, using high-quality materials like acetate for the frame fronts and steel filigree temples, connected by a distinctive plug-in system, enhances durability and ensures a sleek, modern look, establishing Sol Sol Ito as a trusted and renowned eyewear brand.
Its diverse collection includes classic frames, innovative wireframes and bold sunglasses. Each piece is crafted with a commitment to individually and style, making them a favourite among fashion-forward consumers who appreciate form and function. The frames are designed to be lightweight and comfortable, ensuring a perfect fit and easy wear throughout the day. The brand is also renowned for its interchangeable double bridges, replacement nose pads and screw-less hinges.
Earlier this year, Sol Sol Ito unveiled their latest innovation, read on light, at the MIDO Milano Eyewear Fair. This revolutionary concept made from flexible TR90 material in trendy colours integrates ultra-thin, functional, foldable reading glasses into a compact hard shell. The glasses are durable with anti-allergic qualities and come in four different diopter strengths, reflecting Sol Sol Ito's commitment to merging convenience with high design standards.
“The feedback we received from people at MIDO was overwhelming. Opticians, distributors and eyewear enthusiasts worldwide are interested in read on light,” Sandra said. “As we had a lot of enquiries about whether the reading glasses could also be purchased without the iPhone case, we developed the light collection with matching hard case and in five fashionable colours. The success in Milan shows that we have hit the pulse of the times with read on light,” Monika added.
Read On represents the essence of Swiss engineering, where form and material are combined to perfection to create outstanding iconic products such as the Swiss pocket knife. The temples’ patented design allows them to be folded in one plane with the frames, while the thinner lenses ensure they do not scratch when pushed out of the case or lying on a table. The sunny state of California’s colourful and lively design spirit is said to be the project’s inspiration.
“The convenience, mobility, and accessibility of the American lifestyle, complemented by Swiss uncompromising quality and reliability, are the blueprint of our brand,” Sol Sol Ito said. “Our eyewear showcases a vivid colour palette and captivating design. We believe that reading glasses should evoke pure enjoyment with every use, enhancing your everyday moments.” Thus read on glasses wearers can appreciate a modern, clean and fresh aesthetic in practical accessories that fit seamlessly into their daily lives.
Users will experience fine print and razor-sharp, high resolution by sliding the read on glasses with their extra-long temples to the tip of their nose to focus, if needed, and fold them back down to a flat three millimetres after use. The glasses are protected in the compact hard shell or the unique iPhone case, making it a purist design object with a touch of extravagance. The perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics has fascinated the whole world.
The read on glasses have won prestigious awards, such as the German Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award, and are available online.
Text: Cristina Lloyd
– biteglasses, 8/2024
«New ‘read on’ reading glasses offer lightweight, colourful design»
read on, a Swiss reading glasses design company at the forefront of eyewear innovation, has announced the launch of its latest innovation: ‘read on light’ - ultra-thin, lightweight, flexible reading glasses, made of a quality, skin-friendly eyewear material (TR90). At only three millimetres, ‘read on light’ is described as one of the thinnest reading glasses on the market and offers the most colourful, contemporary eye-catching style – and practical, functional design.
‘read on’ was founded by Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, eyewear innovators who established the fashionable Swiss eyewear brand 'Sol Sol Ito' and have won a number of design awards, including the German Design Award, the Good Design Award and most recently, the Red Dot Design Award. Three years ago, the team launched their first reading glasses product: slim, foldable reading glasses which fit neatly inside a smartphone case.
“read on light, our latest innovation, has been developed as the ultimate lightweight reading glasses product, with a fresh design, an ultra-convenient hard case and benefits such as skin-friendly materials,” said Sandra Kaufmann, industrial designer and co-founder of ‘read on’. “At Mido, where we have shown the product for the first time, the feedback we received was overwhelming. Opticians, distributors and eyewear enthusiasts from all over the world are very interested in ‘read on light’.”
– 20/20 europe, international eye fashion, June 2024
«Selection»
On a diet: The latest innovation from read on, a start-up from Swiss eyewear label Sol Sol Ito, is just 3 millimetres thick, making it one of the thinnest reading glasses on the market. After the eyewear brand's foldable reading glasses caused a sensation three years ago, the ultra-thin, lightweight and flexible "read on light" now comes without an iPhone case, but with a matching hard case in five striking colors.
– DAS IDEALE HEIM, 4/2024
«High-quality, unisex and only three millimeters thick»
"Read on", the Swiss start-up company that began three years ago with the ingenious idea of placing reading glasses in the iPhone case, will soon be launching a new innovation. The two founders, Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, have refined the foldable reading glasses. The new design is ultra-light, very flexible and made of high-quality material (TR90) - and only three millimeter thick. "We've had a lot of inquiries about whether you can buy the reading glasses without the iPhone case, so we developed the light collection with the matching hard case," explains Sandra Kaufmann. In March, the "Read on" team was at the Vision Expo in New York, where they presented the new idea for the first time. "The feedback and interest was great and this has confirmed us to continue the development", Monika Fink adds. The launch of "Read on light" is planned for the fall in Zurich, Switzerland. Orders can already be placed.
By the way, "Read on" recently won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2023, yet another accolade for the innovative team. Keep it up!
Text: Denise Dollinger
– Schweizer Optiker, 9/2023
«Certificate
Red Dot Winner 2023»
read on
– Red Dot Design Award, 2023
«iPhone Case with Reading Glasses»
read on
Pragmatic considerations about the everyday use of reading glasses led to the development of “read on”, an iPhone case with an integrated pair of glasses. The compact, multifunctional iPhone case with its reduced design offers space for a pair of reading glasses that is only 3 mm thick. In its protected compartment, the visual aid is not only easy to find and therefore always available: it also cannot be lost or scratched by other objects carried in the same case, such as keys. The jury highlighted both the extraordinarily practical aspects of the product and its refined design, which has created an innovative typology of glasses for men and women.
– Red Dot Design Award , 2023
«iPhone:
Case with perspective»
The business idea
Zurich-based design startup "Read on" has developed reading glasses that are so thin they can be placed inside a smartphone case. "We are an iPhone accessories company and the Read on case with integrated reading glasses is our first product," says co-founder Sandra Kaufmann. "You always have your glasses with you. The idea had been in the designer's drawer for years. With the beginning of the Corona pandemic, they finally found the time for realization. In the meantime, they have been successfully launched in Switzerland and the USA.
– Handelszeitung, 27/2022
«EYE PRO GEAR»
APRIL’S SHORT LIST OF BUSINESS BOOSTING PRODUCTS
#TRENDING
Readers built into our phone cases are a growing category. After all, our smartphones are with us everywhere; we need our reading glasses there too. READ ON, now available in the U.S., are stylish TR90 reading glasses in varying magnifications integrated into a TPU with soft touch surface case for models iPhone XR through iPhone 13 Pro Max. $49.90, readon-mobile.com
– INVISIONMAG.COM, 4/2022
«Swiss design for iPhone::
Case with integrated reading glasses»
The Swiss startup company "Read on" has developed foldable reading glasses that fit into an iPhone case. The glasses are made of ultra-light, flexible and high-quality material (TR90) and are available in four diopter strengths. Robust TPU material for the iPhone case protects the glasses - even when you sit on them. www.readon-mobile.com
– Schweizer Optiker, 5/2021
«Read on»
PRODUCT
Reading glasses are often carried in the same pocket as smartphones and other items like keychains. As a result, they are mostly scratched or lost – when actually required by as many as a third of the population. That’s where Read on come in: We designed and engineered a simple, multifunctional iPhone case with thin, integrated readers. They are smart, functional, compact and unisex and target users over 40 with an iPhone.
STATEMENT OF THE JURY
The combination iPhone case and reading glasses are minimal, slender and highly functional, while providing a practical storage capability that is always at hand. Simple endpieces which fold at right angles allow for a minimal profile that fits perfectly inside the case.
– German design award, special mention, 2/2021
«For the sake of clarity»
The cell phone is a constant companion, but reading glasses are often forgotten. To prevent this from happening again, there is "Read on" - glasses are integrated into the case for the iPhone. In different diopters for 49.90 Fr. at www.readon-mobile.com
– Schweizer Familie, 42/2020
«Read on»
Industrial designer Sandra Kaufmann has already founded the third eyewear company. It is always about an invention on an object that has long since been invented. At ' Strada del Sole ' the clickable temples nestle up to the rounding of the lenses, when the glasses are stored in the trouser pocket see Hochparterre 6 - 7 / 07. For ' Sol Sol Ito ' she has developed with the artist Monika Fink a characteristic temple from spring steel, which can be exchanged see Hochparterre 3 / 15. These do not come alone, but are placed in a case for an iPhone. They fit all faces, regardless of gender. Available in black or white and in four diopter strengths, the eyewear folds flat and disappears into the robust thermoplastic smart phone case. If the case with the smart phone and glasses falls to the ground, springy corners soften the impact. The soft surface flatters the handle. A recess in the case shows whether the glasses are in the compartment, which is only four millimeters high and accommodates the reading glasses, which can be folded completely flat, and protects the smart phone and glasses. The frame is made of the lightweight plastic TR 90, which is considered to be anti-allergic, durable and break-resistant. The inner sides of the long, straight temples are ribbed to improve grip. To prevent the lenses from scratching the case, the frame stands slightly above the correction lens. Spectacles are architectures for the face. This requires a safe design in the millimeter range. With ' Read on ' it is not about the fashionable variation, but about the moment when older eyes need the quick reading aid. For this purpose, Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink have sought a formal solution that is remotely reminiscent of a pince-nez, in strict symmetry and in a reduced but - compared to the smooth iPhone design - independent design language. And because we have been reading our magazines and newspapers on the move for a long time, the glasses in the cell phone case are in the right place. Meret Ernst
– Hochparterre, 10/2020
«Soif de design»
Case for iPhone with integrated reading glasses "Read on", design Sol Sol Ito
– Espace Contemporains, 10/2020
«Vienna Design Week»
«Read on» is a multifunctional iPhone case with integrated reading glasses.
– Wohnrevue, 10/2020
«Two smart Swiss women do what no app can - they upgrade a smartphone with their reading glasses»
Monika Fink and Sandra Kaufmann, successful with their eyewear label Sol Sol Ito, have founded a second start-up: Read On. The iPhone is equipped with unisex reading glasses in a special cover. Jürg Zbinden
– Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 11/2020
«Smartphone plus»
The idea is great, the implementation extremely successful, the next award guaranteed. But let's start from the beginning: the smartphone, always available and present, holds the often misplaced reading glasses in its case. Suddenly the glasses are always ready. When the next text message or e-mail is waiting to be read on the cell phone screen. When the menu in a restaurant is written too small and looks unreadable. When the label in the cashmere sweater is hard to decipher. Sandra Kaufmann, industrial designer, and Monika Fink, artist, have taken on this little annoying problem, and above all they have solved it functionally and attractively. With a super-light, collapsible pair of glasses that fits easily into a slim case next to the smartphone. Insiders know Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink from their eyewear collection Sol Sol Ito, which is easily recognizable by its filigree temples made of lightest steel. Award after award the duo has won, from the Swiss Design Award to the Red Dot Award. And the next one should not be long in coming.
– BIANCO, Sommer 2020
«Smartphone with view»
Protect your eyes and smartphone, this is the bet won by Read On Mobile. The startup has developed a case for iPhones XR, 11 and 11 Pro Max. Rugged, it holds a pair of unisex reading glasses. In Zurich, the company was founded by Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink, who are already at the head of their eyewear brand named Sol Sol Ito. Sokhna Cissé
Case and glasses, 49.90 Fr. at readon-mobile.com
– Femina, 11/2020
«Flat hierarchy»
Reading glasses and smartphone - equally important and equal for many quickly laid. Industrial designer Sandra Kaufmann and artist Monika Fink from Zurich create with their smartphone case with flat collapsible reading glasses help.
– MIS MAGAZIN, Winter 2020/2021
«Where are they?»
Reading glasses get lost quickly. Read on is intended to remedy this. The iPhone case designed by Sandra Kaufmann and Monika Fink contains reading glasses in a specially integrated compartment. Now all you have to do is remember where you left your phone.
– Annabelle, 15/2020
«The reading glasses for the iPhone age»
General redesign for conventional reading glasses: Read on launches a smartphone case with reading glasses in an integrated glasses compartment on the Swiss market. The startup wants to conquer not only the local market but soon also the American market.
Almost every third person needs reading glasses. Some people have several pairs of readers at home - and then none at hand when you need to decipher a text quickly. The smartphone, on the other hand, is less likely to be misplaced. To ensure that the same applies to reading glasses in the future, start-up founders Monika Fink and Sandra Kaufmann have created Read on: a smartphone case with integrated reading glasses. The start-up company has developed flat-folding glasses that fit completely into the only four millimeter high glasses compartment of the smartphone case. For now, the Startup is producing smartphone cases for the latest iPhone generation.
For the distribution of the product, the founders are focusing on the e-commerce channel. The case has been available for a few weeks at Digitec, Galaxus and in their own webshop. Negotiations are currently underway with a European wholesaler as a further distribution partner.
Kaufmann and Fink can build on their experience as serial entrepreneurs. Read on is already the third start-up of the two Female Founders. With their first joint venture Sol Sol Ito, they have specialized in limited edition glasses in the luxury segment. As the next milestone, the startup, which is currently also completing the InnoSuisse Coaching Program, is aiming for market access in the USA. They are currently looking for investors for this step. "We see great potential in the American market because convenience products are popular there and in percentage terms even more people need reading glasses than in Europe," says co-founder Monika Fink. There is at least one reason for optimism: Sol Sol Sol Ito's eyewear has already entered the US market. Fabienne Roos
– Startup Ticker 11/2020
«Genius»
The eternal search for reading glasses has finally come to an end! From now on you can elegantly put them into the "read on" case for the iPhone. And that is really always at hand.
– Sonntagszeitung, 15/11/2020