Eyestylist

Johanna Skans is the Founder and CEO of the eyewear label SKANS – one of the optical world’s most sustainable frame brands – and the Co-Founder of Frame the Future, the industry’s 1-year-old platform dedicated to accelerating sustainable action across the whole business. We interviewed her about both directions, and her path, so far….

When did you launch SKANS and why eyewear? What was your particular desire or focus at the time? Skans was launched in 2022, but the idea had been growing for many years. I trained as an optometrist and have spent my career working across almost every part of the optical industry—as an optometrist, store manager, product manager and buyer for one of Europe’s largest optical retailers. That gave me a unique perspective on both the clinical and commercial sides of eyewear.

Throughout my career, I struggled to find products that aligned with my values. Despite wanting to make better purchasing decisions, the industry offered very few environmentally responsible alternatives. Most frames were made from virgin or mixed materials, difficult to repair or recycle, and designed within a system that rewarded high consumption, short term profit rather than long term value creation respecting natural resources.

After completing an MBA, studying Business Sustainability Management, and later working for B Lab Nordics, it became clear to me that business could—and should—be a force for good. I realised that if I wanted to see change in the eyewear industry, I had to help create it myself. That is why I founded Skans. My ambition was to give optical retailers and consumers a better choice: beautifully designed eyewear with a significantly lower environmental footprint, while proving that good design, commercial success and responsible business can go hand in hand. Above: Johanna Skans, Founder & CEO, SKANS + Co-Founder of Frame the Future – with Andrew Clark and Xenia Glutz von Blotzheim 

How would you describe your design style at SKANS today?  I would describe SKANS’ aesthetic as quiet everyday luxury. Eyewear designed to be worn and loved for many years. My philosophy is rooted in slow fashion: creating fewer, better products that balance beauty, function and longevity. Growing up in Sweden with Finnish roots, now living in Denmark, my design language is influenced by Nordic metropolitan life style — a balance between creativity, functionality and a deep appreciation for nature. Played out in clean lines, honest materials and functionality at the heart of every frame. The aesthetic is minimal yet distinctive; elegant with an urban edge. Confident rather than loud.

Every SKANS frame is created to be comfortable (super lightweight), durable (handcrafted in premium materials), circular (repairable and recyclable) and beautiful (confident without chasing trends). I love to play with contrasts and tend to design with soft, feminine lines and subtle details. To me, eyewear is like a piece of jewellery that should amplify the wearer’s character – elegant enough to disappear, distinctive enough to be remembered.

What are you currently working on in the collection? I’m designing a small number of new shapes that draw inspiration from the Nordic music scene – its quiet confidence, understated sensuality and subtle rebellion. The collection explores softer expressions of femininity through refined proportions and fresh silhouettes, while staying true to the SKANS design philosophy. You’ll recognise the clean lines, monochromatic palette and single-material construction that define SKANS. Every frame is stripped back to its essentials, allowing shape, proportion and honest materials to speak for themselves. The result is a collection that feels familiar yet unexpected – minimal, expressive and quietly distinctive.

You’ve done a lot of work on sustainable packaging as well as design to minimise your footprint and you’ve won a CSR award at SILMO in 2024. How do you maintain such a big commitment to sustainable design and development across everything you do? My guiding principle is to “make decisions that would make Mother Earth proud”. Whenever faced with a choice—whether it’s designing a frame, selecting materials, choosing manufacturing partners or deciding which initiatives or partnerships to prioritise, I try to look at it from the planet’s perspective.

For me, sustainability is a mindset, it’s a lifestyle and it’s embedded in every decision I make, both professionally and personally. That perspective naturally shapes the products we create and the business we build. I hope that’s reflected in what we’ve achieved at SKANS, including receiving the SILMO CSR Award in 2024 and being nominated again in 2025. But I´m a forever student and am learning every day.

You also have B Corp Certification? What is the process like and would you recommend it to all eyewear companies? We understand you have a lot of experience in this field? Pursuing B Corp certification as a start-up was an ambitious decision, but I believed it was the right foundation to build the company on from day one. Skans was created to use eyewear as a tool to address planetary challenges, so becoming a Certified B Corporation felt like a natural step. It wasn’t about earning a label—it was about having our business independently verified against rigorous sustainability standards and ensuring that our actions genuinely reflected the values and impact we set out to create.

Before founding SKANS, I worked at B Lab Nordics as Head of Engagement, supporting companies on their sustainability journeys, and I am also a certified B Leader, helping organisations prepare for B Corp certification. That experience gave me a deep understanding of what responsible business should look like—not just in theory, but in practice, across any industry. The certification process is rigorous. It starts with the Business Impact Assessment (BIA), a free online assessment consisting of around 250 questions covering every aspect of a company’s operations; environmental, social and Governance. Every answer must be supported by evidence, reports, policies, data or documented practices. It is unique as it challenges companies on a 360 degrees perspective. There are questions examining the governance structure and company purpose, treatment of employees, supply chain, community impact, customers and environmental footprint. It asks questions such as: How many percent of your suppliers are femaleled or LGBTQ led? Do your governing documents commit the company to creating positive impact for people and the planet? Does women hold 50% or more of the board seats? How do you measure your product’s environmental impact? How do you use your business as a force for good?

Each answer contributes to an overall score. To become a Certified B Corporation, a company must achieve at least 80 points out of 200 and successfully complete B Lab’s verification process. Skans achieved a score of 133.6, which, currently is the highest verified score of any eyewear brand globally. I am incredibly proud of that achievement, but even more importantly, it provides us with a framework for continuous improvement. Certification is not a one-time achievement. Companies must recertify every three years, demonstrating ongoing progress and adapting to increasingly demanding standards. We are currently preparing for our recertification. Would I recommend B Corp certification to other eyewear companies? Absolutely! Go to the free assessment today – B Corp is a comprehensive business transformation framework. It helps companies identify blind spots, measure progress, highlight your strengths, and build a business that creates long-term value for people, the planet and shareholders alike. For us, B Corp certification is a journey that challenges us to think outside the box and to leave each day a little bit better than yesterday.

You are also Co-Founder of the FRAME THE FUTURE which was launched just last year at Silmo. Why is this important to you and what do you feel FTF has achieved so far? Frame the Future is deeply important to me because no single company can create system change and large-scale impact. The environmental challenges we face—whether it’s circularity, recycling infrastructure, data collection, regulation or product design—are shared challenges that require shared solutions. Real progress only happens when the entire value chain works together. What I love about the eyewear industry is that it was built on improving people’s lives through better vision. Caring for people is already part of our DNA. I am convinced that we can extend that responsibility beyond the individual customer and start caring equally for the future of our loved ones – because isn’t that ultimately what sustainability is? The planet will survive, but the people living there?

The eyewear industry has all the ingredients to become a global leader in responsible innovation — we simply need to collaborate more than we compete. That is why Andrew Clark, Xenia Glutz von Blotzheim and myself founded Frame the Future: to provide a neutral platform where manufacturers, suppliers, brands, retailers and industry experts can come together to solve the challenges no company can solve alone. Our role is to build knowledge, develop practical tools and accelerate collective action. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in a relatively short time. We’ve brought together stakeholders from across the value chain, hosted international roundtables, panels, webinars, published the industry’s first report identifying its shared sustainability challenges, and initiated collaborative projects such as the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) initiative for eyewear.

Getting the alliance off the ground has certainly had its challenges. We launched at a time of economic uncertainty, when many businesses were understandably focused on short-term priorities. But I remain convinced that sustainability is not separate from business success—it is fundamental to long-term resilience and competitiveness. The companies that will lead the future are those willing to collaborate, challenge established ways of working, and innovate within the planet’s boundaries.

Outside business, what is your biggest focus and most important means of relaxation? Wellbeing—spending time in nature, staying active, cooking plant-based food, and being with my husband and our two daughters. I’ve often made life decisions around that. I moved to Australia to be closer to the ocean and spend more time surfing while completing my MBA. Years later, we lived in the Dolomites so skiing could become part of everyday family life—and, as a bonus, we were closer to the heart of eyewear manufacturing.

Running is my favourite way to recharge. Early mornings, before the city wakes up, are when my mind is at its most creative, and many of my best ideas are born. I enjoy running marathons and try to complete at least one each year—not to chase a faster time, but because I enjoy the process and the reminder that growth comes from consistently challenging yourself. Whether it’s running, surfing, skiing, building an eyewear company or co-founding an industry alliance, it all comes back to the same thing: pursuing my ikigai—bringing together what I love, what I’m good at, what creates value for others, and what I hope contributes to a better future.

This interview feature is an Eyestylist Exclusive. All rights reserved. For more on SKANS visit https://skans.com – Skans has been introduced into the US by Julia Gogosha and Temple of Frames earlier in 2026 at Eyecon, NYC.