Amsterdam-based eyewear brand Ace & Tate just opened their first Irish store, on Dublin’s Exchequer Street.

There are a few heads that make this city tick. The people who carve out a place for art and culture here.

We’re collaborating with Ace & Tate to create a new magazine, with design by Shauna Buckley, and a mini-documentary series, called ‘Heads’. It’s a project that explores a selection of the characters who make Dublin what it is. From poetry and rap, to design, fashion and food, these people make things happen in the Dirty Old Town.

Restaurateur Jo Macken, poet Felispeaks, stylist Aisling Farinella, designer David Wall and rapper Mango Dassle. These are Dublin Heads, and to celebrate the launch of Ace & Tate on Exchequer Street, we’re telling their stories.

Over the past five years Ace & Tate has grown from a small start-up to an internationally-renowned eyewear brand it is today with 30 stores across Europe.

Here’s why they chose to make Exchequer Street their home.

“Located a stone’s throw away from busy Grafton Street, the brand will be centrally positioned in the Creative Quarter — an emerging home to a mix of independent stores, studios, cafés and galleries — and will be in good company with Patagonia as their next door neighbour.

“Inspired by the historic meaning behind Dublin’s name (in Gaelic dubh linn, meaning “black, dark” and “pool”), Ace & Tate filled this new retail space with traditional local references, translated into modern details: the yellow panels bring to mind the hue of Ireland’s favourite pint and the use of hexagon shapes will remind visitors of the basalt columns found at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.”

As well as working on our HEADS publication, homegrown designer Shauna Buckley collaborated with Ace & Tate to create a neon artwork installation for the new store. Check it out below.

For more on Ace & Tate check out their site or buzz into the store to say hello at 30 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.