Wooden Eyewear
Having a passion for health and wellness often parallels with a zero-waste state of mind. As my journey progresses, I find myself making purchases more consciously. Needless to say, I had trouble finding frames made from: stainless steel, titanium, or wood (which are considered a cleaner alternative to plastic). The optometrists I spoke with had never been approached by a consumer in search of a sustainable option. Some optometrists have overlooked these options in the past because there were no eco-friendly brands prepared for mass production.
Becoming more environmentally aware of how plastic is impacting our ecosystem, I have provided you with some options today in hope that this post inspires others to make one small change toward an eco friendly lifestyle. Here are the top 5 brands that I carefully selected that offer wooden eyewear options for men, women, and kids.
Discounts
Wildwood- Wildwood is a Canadian company, but no need to be jealous because they ship to the United States too! Wildwood uses 10 layers of wood and allergy friendly oil to forge eco-friendly prescription glasses and sunglasses for men, women, and kids. For every $10 you spend, Wildwood plants 10 trees! Now that’s a great cause to get behind in 2021! If your looking to pick up these sunglasses instore check out HereAfter in Chatham, ON.
LOCH- The Loch Eyewear company uses 500-year-old timbers that are harvested and preserved in nearly zero-oxygen water. The founders are two brothers, Dan & Tim Waggoner, who “put people and the planet before profit”. With such excellent core values, I was excited to share this Canadian company with you. They make purchasing sustainable eyewear simple. Loch offers: a “try on, take home” service, you can purchase prescription lenses with your frame, they have a lifetime warranty, and the shipping is free for purchases over $100.
Tree Tribe- The Tree Tribe company creates handmade sunglasses out of bamboo that gives their frames that signature wood grain finish. Tree Tribe makes buying sustainable, eco friendly frames accessible online and in select retail stores. With a small team of 6 this company has made huge environmental impacts since 2015 buy planting almost 500 thousand trees.
Woodzee- If you love wine, you will love this eyewear company! The Yachtmaster pair featured above uses upcycled French Oak from wine barrels to create seamless eyewear. I am proud when companies like Woodzee, can be transparent with their consumers; from where they source their wood to the generous warranty they provide with your purchase. According to their FAQ’s, they treat all of their wood and bamboo glasses with wax and even recommend maintaining your eyewear with beeswax over time.
Shwood Shop- Portland, Oregon is on my eco radar! I have found the most incredible brands pop up from Portland over the last two years and I am very impressed! The founder Eric Singer and his staff of about 20 people make every pair of frames from Shwood by hand. This eco company started with a piece of wood from the owner’s backyard and his entire life changed in the weeks that followed. He is passionate about sourcing all the materials from the United States to maintain his company’s integrity and to keep jobs in America.
After watching a couple of videos about the brand, you can clearly see how passionate Mr. Singer is about the quality from each piece made. The overall work environment looks exciting, and you get the sense that they are proud to be part of something bigger than themselves that positively impacts the planet.
The Shwood Eyewear company helps consumers feel and look their best in frames made from wood. The wood is responsibility sourced by the Pacific Northwest Forest, and with some cutting-edge technology they’re able to minimize waste while providing high quality, one-of-a-kind pieces or art. Check out this brand and tag @letmeseethelabel in your new eco eyewear!