Last week in Miami, the eyewear company Vintage Frames held an event at its U.S. flagship in The Goodtime Hotel to celebrate its latest creative collaboration with the artist Trevor “Trouble” Andrew. Two years in the making, the partnership entailed a series of limited-edition numbered prints paired with a special-edition sunglass, exclusively sold during Art Week.
“Vintage Frames Company’s Miami Beach storefront is the perfect place for this gallery pop-up. Trevor
and I both draw inspiration from nostalgic pop culture references from our younger years. This project
has brought to life a form of art that has never been done before in our industry,” said Corey Shapiro,
Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Vintage Frames Company.
Inspired by the eyewear company’s Miami Vice-inspired retail concept and Andrew’s “Dirty Cigs” series, the creations are centered around two frames—classic acetate and metal shapes—with an edgy, out-of-the-box concept featuring cigarette stems. Special for the artist, who used his “Dirty Cigs” series as an inspiration to quit smoking himself, it expresses the irony that cigarettes were fashionable in the 1980s and ‘90s, regardless of your participation in smoking culture. Elaborating on this subject, the artist created a juxtaposition of the “American Man” character made popular during this time, and brought him into the contemporary world.
“I love experimenting with many different mediums, finding ways to express myself and creating a language
through images to share my experiences and make commentary on the world I see in front of me,” said the artist.
In celebration of the collaboration, Whitewall spoke with Andrew to hear how the culture and fashion statements surrounding cigarettes inspired his wellness, work with Vintage Frames, and more.
Trouble Andrew and Corey Shapiro, Vintage Frames x Trouble Andrew, photo by Ben Droz.
WHITEWALL: How did your collaboration with Vintage Frames begin?
TREVOR ANDREW: We had been talking about finding a way to work together on something since 2018—but my collaboration with Vintage Frames started when Corey visited me at my studio in L.A. and acquired some art from me.
I like to play with iconic logos and images in my work. As a young Canadian boy, I saw a lot of this stuff from afar and it felt big. I guess I’m just being nostalgic. Corey and I have similar upbringings both being from Canada and also have similar interest in bringing a new lens to nostalgic objects and ideas.
WW: This builds from your “Dirty Cigs” series. What details did you reinvent or reimagine?
TA: In 2017 I started painting giant cigarette boxes, mixing word marks like “Megadeath” and “Poison” into the paintings, which felt appropriate. As I was making these dirty cigs works, I would post them on my socials. Corey saw them and reached out about using them as a theme for a pair of glasses.
WW: The design took over two years to create. Can you tell us about that creative process?
TA: We went back and forth on design for a while, trying to get the packaging and materials down right. There were many iterations of this project to get it to our standards. Then we were looking for the right moment to reveal. Corey opened his shop in 2022, so Miami Art Week seemed to be the spot.
Corey Shapiro, Vintage Frames x Trouble Andrew, photo by Ben Droz.
WW: Your original artwork was a response to the “American man,” made popular in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Why does this character intrigue you?
TA: There was something so intriguing about people who chose tobacco as a fashion statement in those times. People who didn’t even smoke wearing cigs behind their ears
WW: How did you translate that character into a modern-day persona with this collaboration?
TA: We wanted to bring an element of nostalgia back into the mix. The temple tips being cigs brings us back to a satirical time in history that I don’t think anyone can explain
WW: This series also sparked a wellness kick, with you using it as inspiration to quit smoking. Tell us about that.
TA: Well my relationship to cigarettes feels like it’s been a lifelong struggle. I used the works as a way to remind myself not to slip, but ironically, when I look at the new glasses and see people taking that tin foil off the box, it makes me want to have a smoke.
Vintage Frames x Trouble Andrew, photo by Ben Droz.
