Sustainable design

Independent eyewear brand Rolf receives recognition for sustainable product

5th February 2024

The Wire collection is the Austrian brand’s latest design-led series – it has won the Mido award in the sunglasses category – the collection offers a beautiful sophisticated attention to style as well as function

Rolf has received the CSE Certified Sustainable Eyewear – Sunglasses Europe Category – at the Mido eyewear show in Milan this weekend, a further accolade that brings much well-deserved recognition from the optical segment for the brand’s sustainable innovation and design. Their new Wire collection, which is 3D printed using rapidly renewable castor beans, offers plant-based optical and sunglass models which are light, robust and durable – with a researched qualitative contemporary design.

The frames in the Wire collection are characterised by coloured threads to create an artistic accent. They feature timeless shapes and a stylish finish, while also making a clear statement about preserving our planet and evolving materials in eyewear to meet this need.

LOFT Santa Monica Show October 16th and 17th

SILMO Paris - The Optical Fair. 25th - 28th September 2026

MIDO 6-8 February 2027. Welcome to Eyewearland

The unique glasses from Rolf – whether they’re made out of wood, stone, or the new sustainable material – can be purchased at selected optical retailers and in the two flagship stores in Vienna and Reutte, Austria. www.rolf-spectacles.com

Sustainable design

MYKITA: calling for conscious consumption

21st November 2023

The Berlin brand is advocating thoughtful purchases, a longer product life and company commitment to prolonging the lifespan of eyewear through their MYCARE service – this programme of activity comes in the light of their also winning Responsible Company Award at SILMO 2023

MYKITA, the Berlin innovation-led design brand, is pushing for a more considered approach to eyewear shopping, and greater focus on longer lasting, quality frame design. In this light, the brand is highlighting their MYCARE service which includes frame maintenance and refurbishment, customised adjustments, and professional eyewear cleaning.

Product aftercare is available free of charge at MYKITA Shops worldwide to ensure MYKITA eyewear feels new for as long as possible, and looks, fits, and functions the way it was designed.

Moritz Krüger, MYKITA founder and creative director made a statement following the win at SILMO: “MYKITA is committed to generating positive change and meaningful innovation for the wellbeing of people, protecting the planet, with eyes set on bright future for generations to come. To receive this prize is a tremendous validation of our path and efforts, and a strong encouragement to heighten our efforts and continue to push further on social and environmental responsibility.”

Alongside product lifespan, MYKITA also underlines their ecological and social responsibility developed over the past years. From becoming the first eyewear company to completely switch its acetate material purchasing to the recycled Acetate Renew, the firm have also established a closed-loop supply system for stainless steel, their most frequently used material. Today, 90% of MYKITA’s purchased eyewear materials are already recycled and 100% recyclable. For more details on responsibility at MYKITA: https://mykita.com/de/mykitahaus/about/responsibility/

Sustainable design

Bird Eyewear introduces own bio-acetate material: Plantix

29th October 2023

The Harrier frame is the UK company’s first release using the Plantix bio-acetate

Bird Eyewear has recently launched a new frame design made from Plantix, a brand new, low-carbon bio-acetate designed in-house by Bird. Unlike some of the conventional materials derived from petroleum-based sources, Plantix is a bio-acetate produced from naturally renewable materials. The sustainable production process uses acetic acid and plant-based polymers to create the material, which is then coloured with plant-based dyes. Above: new model Harrier in Olive – the natural colours, which also include Caramel and Dusk, are inspired by the local landscape of Devon in the South West of England (UK)

Harrier by Bird Eyewear – a classic panto shape – suitable for sun or optical lenses

Bird describes the material as non-toxic – it has improved biodegradability compared to traditional plastics which can take thousands of years to break down, littering landfills and oceans. Bird has also devised a recycle scheme in which Plantix can be recycled. The new range has a carbon impact of just 113 grams of CO2 per frame – less carbon emissions than using a mobile phone for 1 hour.

To find out more about the new Plantix frame Harrier, visit https://findyourbirds.com

This feature was published by Eyestylist.com on 29th October 2023.

Sustainable design

Yair Neuman Lens lights + Delerex® eyewear

25th October 2023

The designer’s work has been exhibited as part of Material Matters at the London Design Festival – an exhibition which showcases material innovation and sustainability

The latest additions to Yair Neuman’s ‘Lens-made objects’ collection have been presented at the London Design Festival this season. The new pieces, handmade from upcycled waste spectacle lenses, encompass wall lights, table lights and frosted finish pendants as well as spectacle frames made from Delerex®, a material comprised of 100% recycled lenses developed by the designer. Above: the Lonely Halo light is suspended from a brass tube

Lens Lights: designed for any living environment – when illuminated the repurposed lens material has an attractive translucency

In conjunction with the fish-scale like surfaces he has been creating with the lenses, the new edition of Lens Lights introduces innovative new granulated surfaces. “The development allows higher material turnover, more efficient shaping, and an increased production capacity. Consequently, the quantity of discarded lenses that can be recycled sees a significant rise,” the designer explains.

Delerex® eyewear, designed by Yair Neuman, is produced by the French eyewear company La Maison Bourgeat (www.atelier-bourgeat.com), the only producer in the world currently making frames from recycled lenses. Find out more at www.yairneuman.com /

For more on Yair Neuman’s work visit https://www.eyestylist.com/2022/01/eyestylist-exclusive-delerex-frames-made-from-100-waste-lenses/

Photography by Jonathan Minster

Copyright disclaimer: this Eyestylist feature first appeared on EYESTYLIST.COM on 25th October 2023.

Sustainable design

Sea2see: new-season collection presented in photographic project

10th October 2023

The B Corp certified ‘seastainable’ eyewear brand has featured their latest frames in a photo project in Morocco by Edouard Valette – the shoot is the first in a special photographic series where Sea2see highlights the fragile beauty of the coastal environment in an artistic and yet poignant reminder of the climate emergency

The shoot took place in and around the fishing village of Taghazout on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, an extraordinarily eye-catching location, and presents a reminder of the natural fragile beauty of the coastline and sea in this particular region. For Sea2see, these vistas have a symbolism that goes beyond fashion, representing “our responsibility towards nature and its very survival across the world”.

Capturing a mood of exploration in this extraordinary scenery, the Belgian stylist, Lisa Lapauw creates a feeling that is at once creative and colourful, with a fresh and distinctive apparel style that also highlights upcycled, pre-used items and discarded plastics from the beach – in line with the Sea2see eyewear collection which is “seastainable” and recycled from marine plastic and waste. Above and below: images from Sea2see’s 2023 photographic project in Morocco – shot by international photographer and filmmaker, Edouard Valette, (https://www.raindogsproduction.com/). A team of internationally famous models and local faces were featured in the images, including Ansar Elyacoubi, Sahal Elhaissan, Kaltoum, Siham and Mohamed Youno.

“These images are full of symbolism, reflecting our deep conviction in circularity, environmental action and the need for widespread material re-use,” said François van den Abeele, Founder of Sea2see. “Travelling to various fishing villages and coastal environments, the scenes express the essence, extraordinary colours and reality of the coastal and fishing environment, the unique biodiversity in the sea… whilst the models wear the fishing nets, plastic bottles, fishhooks and buoys…symbolic of what is discarded on beaches, polluting these spectacular natural shores…”

Sea2see eyewear: model Panarea is one of the bold oversized frames in the collection

Model Panarea – produced in 100% marine plastic, has a large eye-catching silhouette – and represents one of the fashion-oriented designs in the 2023 collection, offered in timeless tones of black, Havana blue and graduated burgundy (pictured in image below).

All the eyewear featured in the imagery is part of Sea2see’s current “seastainable” ophthalmic and sunglasses collection 2023. Find out more at www.sea2see.org