Our kind fashion correspondent Kristiina has pulled together a great list of eco-friendly shades. Check it out:
Top 5 Kind Sunglasses Styles
There are two different philosophies when it comes to buying sunglasses. First, buy one amazing pair at a high price and pray you don’t lose them. Or the second, buy lots of $5 pairs from places like the gas station and H&M, knowing full well you will lose them. Most of us fall into this camp. There is a tendency to not want to invest in a spendy pair of sunglasses because we aren’t planning on owning them for all that long. The second strategy has been my buying philosophy for sunglasses for the last five years. Until I realized they weren’t disappearing as fast as I expected. Turns out, I liked the style enough to take care of them as well as I take care of my eyeglasses. Despite losing a couple pairs, I had amassed quite a collection of cheapies. And all those plastic cheapies make up a big pile of petroleum.
Yeah, I bet you didn’t think about that either. Not toworry, we are all adults (and responsible teens!) and can learn to take care of our belongings. But before you go out and buy yet another pair of sunglasses, here are some eco-friendly options.
First off, my favorite in the top left hand corner, the Bogus by Proof in Bamboo with Kush Mirrored lenses. Mirrored lenses are so hot right now. I like this color because it’s a more mellow take on the trend than say, bright orange. If you don’t like mirrored lenses at all, you can pick whatever lens you want for the frame. They are cool like that. I also love Proof for their Do Good policy. They have a recycling program, support eye-care in India and plant a tree for each pair of sunglasses purchased from them.
Next in the top right hand corner is the Unit T Gunsmoke Silver Aviators by Colin Leslie Eyewear, they have ethicallyharvested bamboo along the temples instead of plastic or metal. They aren’t the most ‘do-gooder’ of the bunch but I appreciate their clean take on bamboo sides. Other brands do something similar but inject a gigantic logo that I feel takes away from the design.
In the center we have Stella McCartney’s Round Sunglasses in three colors, soft grey, black and pink. For Spring/Summer 2012 Stella McCartney introduced her eco-friendly sunglasses which are made of a material she researched, it’s made of sustainable materials like castor oil seeds and citric acid.
The bottom pairs are both from Modo’s Eco collection. Modo makes sunglasses for designers like Jason Wu and 3.1 Phillip Lim, but their eco collection is by far the best. It’s made from 95% recycled materials! They also plant a tree foreach pair sold. On the left is style 113, in dark tortoiseshell, I love all the coverage it gives you around the eye area. And on the right is 111, another aviator, but this time, with slimmer sides. Not the most creative names but I think we can all forgive them for that, just think of all those trees, over 600,000 so far!
Enjoy! What style are you loving right now?
About Kristiina: Kristiina Stromness considers herself your average crazy cat lady. She holds a bachelors degree in Political Science, a certificate in Fashion Design and works as avolunteer coordinator for Best Friends Animal Society. In her blog, Typical House Cat, she combines her love of animals and design by writing about vegan-friendly fashion, nail polish, and DIY. Kristiina lives, works and feeds feral cats in Salt Lake City, Utah.
