Fashion

Geese and Sub Sun Turn Up the Heat With an Exclusive Sunglasses Release

Tom Leuchars, the co-founder of Sub Sub and Cameron Epstein, the label’s director, tell MARVIN all about working with the NYC rockers, the importance of community building and creating “future artifacts”

Story by Anagricel Duran

Geese have teamed up with London-based premium eyewear label Sub Sun to launch a limited-edition pair of sunglasses. 

The NYC rockers worked closely with the Sub Sun team to create a unique pair of frames that matched and signified the ‘Geese’ aura. According to the label’s post, the shades are an “exquisitely balanced mid wrap-around bug eye frame, complete with the band’s signatures engraved on the inner temple.” 

Geese have been slowly teasing the collab after Drummer Max Bassin wore the shades on stage at the 2026 BRIT Awards while accepting their win for International Group Of The Year, and later spotted on frontman Cameron Winter’s face while on stage at their sold-out shows across the UK. 

The frames will come in two different colorways – black and silver – and will be limited to 900 pairs worldwide. Speaking about the collaboration, Sub Sun co-founder Tom Leuchars shared: “Geese right now are the hottest band on the planet, so for us to have the opportunity to work with these artists means we’re able to introduce smaller artists to new fan bases like Geese’s and have a positive impact on the music industry, not only through the profit sharing we do with the artists, but also by helping smaller, grassroots artists and trying to build a real feeling around that.”

“What we want to do with these collaborations is build. We like the idea that we are adding to the art that the band has already put out there,” explains Sub Sun director Cameron Epstein. 

Check out our full interview with Leuchars and Epstein below, where they tell us about how they landed a collab with Geese, the role the band played in the creation of the frames, translating a band’s identity and aura into product design, the inclusion of a fan community, the current music landscape and more. 

Hi Tom and Cameron! What specifically drew you to collaborating with Geese, and how did the relationship first come about?

Tom Leuchars:  “We previously collaborated with Joel Gion of The Brian Jonestown Massacre – those guys are one of my all-time favourite bands – and when we were in touch with Joel, he introduced [Geese] to me right when we started things off and it transpired that Max was a big fan of his and Max’s girlfriend had actually bought a pair of our shades in Brighton years ago.”

“I’ve been in touch with [Geese] a little bit over Instagram, and we’ve been following their trajectory and are really digging the sounds they’re making and how they’re creating a movement of people around them. It felt like ‘Wow, what these guys are doing right now is unparalleled,’ and if there’s a way that we can play a small part in their journey. It’s something which is going to be really special.”

How did Geese’s aesthetic translate into the actual shape, color, or details of these frames?

Leuchars: “Max was our main link design-wise. We worked closely with him, and he would go back to the rest of the band to make sure he found something that represented them as they came together.”

“They rolled with the more bug-eye, slightly bigger, goofier shades. It felt like a very ‘from the streets of New York’ current, modern-day thing, and then added a silver tone on top. [When it comes to building them,] it’s always about the balance of the frame and ensuring every element comes across smoothly along the face; how it drops below the brow, how it pulls out, and giving it that wraparound element, which felt like a small nod to the feeling of a hug. 

Cameron Epstein: “You should see him, he’s like a mad scientist. He has these tiny measuring devices, and sometimes, he’ll turn to us in the middle of the day with a crazy look in his eye and go, ‘I’ve been thinking of increasing the height of the brow on the shades by half a millimeter. What do you think?’ and we’ll be like, ‘Yeah.. yeah, cool,’ but we’ll try them on, and they’ll fit miles better.

 

 

That’s the magic, right? Sunglasses are such a universal thing, and not everyone has the same face, shape, sized anything. So to find something that’s the perfect fit and that’s going to look good, sharp and clean on everyone, that’s a very technical process…

Leuchars: “There are a couple of ways of doing it, like the distances between the temple tips, for example, in these ones, they’re about 116 millimeters and that means they’re always going to be able to have a tight fit depending on the face.”

“With these Geese frames, they can fit a smaller or  bigger face shape, which feels like a good reflection, especially considering how diverse Geese’s fan base is.”

Epstein: “It’s also not just about how they look. With Sub Sun, we focus on how they feel.  We always talk about how we want people to feel the way they do when they listen to the band’s music. I don’t know how Tom does it, but he achieved that with the Joel Gion collab, and with these as well.” 

“There’s something about when you wear them – I think its because the band were involved in the way they’re designed, and it comes from their vision as well, you get to experience their art through another lens. And it feels like…”

Leuchars: “You’re getting ready to fly.”

It feels like there’s almost a cultural pinpoint when it comes to culture and sunglasses. A few years back, it was the Acne Studios bug-eyed Kurt Cobain-style glasses that were everywhere. Even here with these, and the Joel ones, they just feel second nature. Very effortless like ‘I’ve got my phone, keys and sunglasses.’ They also give one the ability to feel like a rock star and feel tapped in …

Epstein: ‘You get it!’

 

 

Sub Sun sits at the intersection of underground music culture and fashion. Where do you guys think this collaboration sit within that broader cultural landscape?

Epstein: “It’s not really a hot take on what’s happening in the wider scheme of things. It’s more just what we like and what the people we know like – a reflection of that. It’s not tactical or a hot take; it’s just something we love and want to build.”

What about the music scene? Where do you see the scene going?

Epstein: “That is so difficult to say, but we’re obsessing over that stuff every day as listeners. In the UK in particular, there’s a very obvious UK rap wave – not a resurgence because it’s been happening for ages – but people like Fakemink and EsDeeKid just can’t stop being talked about. You’re seeing everything from the new-age stuff they’re doing to the Jim Legxacy stuff that’s a bit more palette-friendly.”

“We’re also seeing so much weird, glitchy, jazzy, strange pop – there’s not even a name for it. A lot of it is coming out of venues like Cafe OTO, where you hear some of the most interesting avant-garde music you’ve ever heard. People like [Academy Award winner] Daniel Blumberg are always hanging around in there.”

“The music coming out of that venue right now makes you feel like something crazy is happening in London. You’ve got jazz fusing with psychedelic, pop, and electronic music. I don’t even know what you’d call it, but it’s special. There are also more poppy versions of that, like Mermaid Chunky. It’s all so cool.”

 

Going back to the collab, Geese members have been spotted wearing the Sub Sun collab on stage. Did live performance influence the durability, comfort, or visual impact of this particular pair?

Leuchars: “Everything we do is about durability and longevity with the shades we create. We want them to feel like future artifacts that tell stories. Part of achieving that through the design process is making sure the frame sits securely on the face and doesn’t fall off. That’s essential whether someone’s on stage or just moving around.”

“We’ve had people wear our shades for long periods of time in different environments — even in situations where they’ve been dropped on the floor, stepped on, and still, they’re able to be picked back up and worn again. If we can achieve our idea of durability, with frames that stay tight on someone’s face, then that’s perfect, especially when someone’s up on stage.”

How did the fan sticker contest come about? 

Epstein: “We want to help a band build on their art and, like I said earlier, have their fans see through their own vision and feel closer to the band in a new, novel way. Part of that is the design, and another part is the community building. What we want to do with these collaborations is build. We like the idea that we’re adding to the art the band has already put out there.”

“With every collaboration we do, we look at the fanbase as well as the artist, the music, and the design. When it comes to the fanbase, we start thinking about who can be involved and how we can help them get involved in a fun and interesting way. We teamed up with @Geezine and @whatgeesewears and ended up asking them what they thought a great idea would be.”

“We landed on the sticker contest after thinking about the people who submit designs to Geezine and realizing it would be cool if one of their designs – and their Instagram name – were included in every box of Geese shades that ships out, so they could be part of the art in that way. We also added a small cash prize and a pair of the Geese shades.”

Leuchars:“Another thing that’s important to consider is that we do this because we love it. We are fans of the band. I can’t believe I got to meet Joel Gion and Geese and do a photo shoot with them. We’re doing this with these guys because we’re fans of them. We listen to their tunes the entire time, and we love it.

There’s an element in our philosophy of trying to remove the band from the pedestal and have it just be people seeing people around this one thing we’re doing. We hope we give back to that in some way, whether it’s through the photo shoots where fans get to see the band in a different light, or maybe some young aspiring musicians can develop their own career by looking at this.

“We are all just people at the end of the day, and making everything human again is so important to me.”

 

 

You’ve described your frames as objects that “tell stories” over time. How do you hope people will experience or remember this collaboration years from now?

Leuchars: “Hopefully, they have some of the best years of their lives wearing these shades. Maybe you’re going to a festival, or enjoying experiences for the first time and you look back on photos and be like ‘I had those frames for so long’ and reflect on those memories that were made while wearing them or the confidence they gave you.”

Epstein: “I hope people wear these a bunch and that they become part of their identity – that they remind them of themselves and of Geese, and become more than just a pair of sunglasses to them.”

Geese x Sub Sun glasses are set for pre-order on May 12. You can sign up here to be notified of the release.