Early life

Roth was born on January 6, 1959 in Hanover, Germany to Dr. Fritz-Jürgen and Sabine Roth and recalls receiving a pair of Ray-Bans from his father at age 15 as a defining moment in discovering his passion for eyewear.

In 1980, Roth started his career in New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 as an assistant to the late fashion photographer Rico Puhlmann. In 1978, he met French-born Eric Domege, who was studying marketing at the Academie Commerciale Internationale (A.C.I.) at the time, in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. The pair met again in New York in 1983, and in 1984 they founded Optical Affairs.

The 1990's

Under the name Christian Roth, Roth and Domege continued to design high-fashion eyewear that graced the covers of Fashion publications, ranging from Women's Wear Daily

Women's Wear Daily

Women's Wear Daily is a fashion-industry trade journal sometimes called "the bible of fashion." WWD delivers information and intelligence on changing trends and breaking news in the fashion, beauty and retail industries with a readership composed largely of retailers, designers, manufacturers,...

to Vogue

Vogue (magazine)

Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...

. In 1990, Roth and the brand were inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Roth was the first eyewear designer to join the CFDA

Council of Fashion Designers of America

The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc. is a not-for-profit trade association of over 350 of America’s foremost fashion and accessory designers. As of 2009, Diane von Fürstenberg is the group's President and Steven Kolb is the Executive Director...

.

In 1998, Roth and Domege formed a partnership with the Charmant Group to produce and distribute Christian Roth eyewear worldwide. The Japanese manufacturer helped the Christian Roth brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 expand internationally, throughout the U.S., Europe, Middle East and Asia.

2000–Present

In 2002 the pair was honored by the art world with the inclusion of their designs from the 1980's and 1990's in the "Taking Eyeglasses Seriously" exhibition at the Triennale

Triennale

La Triennale di Milano is a design museum and events venue in Milan, Italy, located inside the Palace of Art building, part of Parco Sempione, the park grounds adjacent to Castello Sforzesco. It hosts exhibitions and events which highlight contemporary Italian design, urban planning, architecture,...

 di Milano. From 2000 to 2004, Roth and Domege collaborated with designer Michael Kors

Michael Kors

Michael Kors is an American fashion designer. He is best known for designing classic American sportswear for women.-Personal life:...

 on his eyewear collections. Since 2007 the pair has also worked with Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris. He has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects, most notably as head designer and creative director for the fashion house Chanel...

 on his line of fashion eyewear.

The brand Christian Roth celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. The designers released 25 limited edition with monogram, versions of their Series A style. In 2010, Christian Roth ended its 12-year licensing deal with Charmant. and retook control of all its trademarks. Today the frames are worn on celebrities ranging from Lenny Kravitz

Lenny Kravitz

Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...

 to Kate Moss. Christian Roth eyewear can be found at international retailers, such as New York's Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman

Bergdorf Goodman is a luxury goods department store based on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The company was founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf and was later owned and managed by Edwin Goodman, and later his son Andrew Goodman....

 and Isetan

Isetan

is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna....

in Japan.

External links

• Official homepage
• Christian Roth at CFDA.com