Craig Charles
Eyewear for Live Performance: Working with Red Dwarf’s Craig Charles
Some eyewear projects are about subtlety and restraint. Others are about leaning fully into personality, colour and confidence, particularly when the person wearing them is known for exactly that. My work with Craig Charles firmly sat in the second category.
Craig is instantly recognisable, whether audiences know him from Red Dwarf, presenting Robot Wars, his decade-long stint on Coronation Street, or his long-standing work as a radio DJ and live performer. Any eyewear styled for him needed to reflect that energy, not dilute it.
We first crossed paths at MediaCity, where a shared appreciation for bold clothing and standout eyewear quickly turned into a conversation about sunglasses, performance and self-expression.
Craig had festivals coming up - including Glastonbury - and wanted eyewear that felt fun, expressive and unmistakably him. From the outset, this was about creating pieces that would hold their own on stage and on screen.
Understanding the Brief: Bold, Expressive and Built for Performance
Craig didn’t want subtle or to play things safe. He wanted sunglasses that stood out, felt playful and brought a sense of joy to performing.
He’s a big Elvis fan, so we talked about classic aviator shapes - particularly the gold-toned styles Elvis was known for - but with a fresh, contemporary twist.
These weren’t going to be sunglasses for everyday wear. They were for live performance, where confidence, visibility and personality matter.
The challenge was taking a familiar reference and reworking it into something colourful, modern and completely unique to Craig, while still making sure the eyewear performed comfortably and reliably under stage conditions.
Styling for Glastonbury
One of the standout moments of this project was styling Craig for Glastonbury.
Styling eyewear for Glastonbury comes with its own pressures. The scale of the festival, the lighting, and the sheer energy of the environment all mean that anything worn on stage needs to work visually from a distance as well as up close.
We settled on a rounded aviator shape, handcrafted from acrylic rather than metal. The frame combined yellow and orange tones, paired with bold gold mirror lenses. The mirror finish helped reflect light beautifully, while the colour ensured the sunglasses didn’t disappear against the rest of Craig’s outfit.
On stage, they became part of the performance rather than an afterthought. Craig loved them straight away, which is always the reaction you hope for.
Custom Eyewear for Live Festivals
Beyond Glastonbury, I also styled Craig for We Invented the Weekend, a festival he was performing at in MediaCity, Salford. And we decided to take things in a completely different direction for this event.
This time, the frames were custom-made from wood, created specifically for Craig by one of my suppliers. We leaned fully into colour again, using pink as the primary tone, with yellow detailing and yellow lenses. The aim was to brighten up the DJ decks when Craig was performing outdoors, while still keeping the eyewear playful, expressive and distinctive.
The level of personalisation on these frames made them particularly special. Inside the frame, we included an inscription of the word “Awooga” - a direct nod to Red Dwarf that Craig immediately connected with.
There was also a hidden phrase written in yellow, designed to be visible only when the frame was placed back against the wood it was cut from. A small detail, but one that made the glasses feel completely personal.
These weren’t just sunglasses. They were objects with meaning.
Why Eyewear for Performance is Different
Styling eyewear for live performance is very different from styling for everyday wear. Glasses need to feel secure, balanced and comfortable, especially when someone is moving, performing and working under lights. At the same time, they need to be visually strong enough to read from a distance.
As a qualified optician, I’m always thinking about how lenses behave in different environments - how they interact with light, how they sit within the frame, and how they affect comfort over extended wear. Even with statement sunglasses, those considerations matter.
For Craig, the balance was between bold design and practical performance. The sunglasses needed to look incredible, but they also needed to feel effortless to wear.
Trust, confidence and collaboration
What made this project particularly enjoyable was the level of trust involved. Craig was open to ideas, willing to experiment and fully committed to expressing himself through what he wore.
That trust allows for creativity to flourish. It also means the eyewear becomes more than just something you put on - it becomes part of how you show up, whether that’s on stage, on screen or behind the DJ decks.
A Memorable Moment
One of the most memorable moments from this collaboration was going backstage at Glastonbury. Not just for the daytime performance, but for Craig’s late-night DJ set in the Rabbit Hole. To get into the venue, you literally had to crawl through a tunnel like a rabbit hole before emerging inside.
Watching Craig DJ while I danced around at the side (feeling a bit like Bez from Happy Mondays) is not something I’ll forget in a hurry.
Craig later shared a video on Instagram shouting “Awooga” and calling me the best eyewear specialist, which was a pretty great moment in itself.
Why This Kind of Eyewear Styling Matters
This project perfectly sums up why eyewear styling isn’t one-size-fits-all. For Craig, it wasn’t about subtlety or blending in. It was about self-expression, confidence and having fun, all while making sure the eyewear worked in real performance environments.
Whether it’s television, live music, festivals or everyday wear, the right eyewear should feel like an extension of the person wearing it. For Craig, that meant colour, character and custom details that made the sunglasses unmistakably his.
That’s the kind of work I enjoy most.
