When I first received an e-mail from local artist Heidi Gustafson about this year’s newest fad in eyewear, Slanties, I was intrigued and ready to begin blogging. Frankly, I just loved the hip release posters and wanted an excuse to include one in a post. But before I could move on it, she wrote back and asked me to hold off because the Slanties were causing a stir.

Since then I’ve been waiting patiently for Heidi to send me the green light and it finally came this weekend. “We have decided to continue forward with the name Slanties and have further outlined both its semantic history from our perspective, as well as the product's design history in our website,” she wrote in an email.

OK so here’s the deal: Slanties are radical sunglasses, handcrafted out of wood and fiberglass. Their design is based on ancient Inuit eyewear and as extreme as they may look, they are rumored to be pretty functional (although some folks would disagree). Baltimore-based artists Gabriel Snyder, Ben Turner, Heidi Gustafson and Erin Barry-Dutru fashioned the first pair out of cardboard, and have been refining the design over the last two years. They launched the line last month at the Windup Space, where attendees reacted with amusement and fascination.

There’s only one issue: the name. The term “Slanties” has sparked a global debate over whether the artists were insensitive – possibly even outright racist – when naming their product. In a recent article published in the Johns Hopkins University News, Slanties co-creator Gabriel Snyder said, “Slanties is definitely not a racist product. We're really dismayed and sorry that it's been interpreted online as such. We're caught off-guard by a lot of negative blogging we've received online."

He added, “Slanties are about a slant attitude or a slanted perspective and not ever meant to be interpreted as some kind of racially insensitive slur. ... we want to engage interpretations some people have. We don't want to back away from that. We want to have a dialogue. ... It's an important process [that occurs] when you create a product or an art piece."

In short, the amount of controversy sparked by this historically inspired accessory is astounding. If you visit the Slanties web site, head over to their press section and see for yourself the full page of links to articles and blog posts that run the gamut from supportive to downright disparaging content. What’s most remarkable to me is that the artists have stuck to their guns in the face of vehement criticism. Whether the condemnation of Slanties will ultimately crush their staying power remains to be seen.

You can order your own pair online. Starting next Tuesday, they will be available for $35 as part of a Summer '09 preview.

(Images courtesy of www.slanties.com)