Bamboo Sunglasses: Going green in shades [GIFT GUIDE]
Woodwear Sunglasses. Submitted photo.
Jonas Musson came up with the idea of bamboo sunglasses about three years ago when he noticed a line of sunglasses made from exotic woods.
“I thought it was a great idea, but I was surprised the company was using exotic woods, instead of something more environmentally friendly,” Musson said. “I am not an eco-extremist, but it only made sense to offer a similar product that utilized eco-friendly materials, instead of exotic woods.”
Musson originally attempted to repurpose scraps from lumberyards and woodworking shops to make his sunglasses, but then someone suggested using bamboo. Musson tested the bamboo and discovered its qualities: sustainability, moisture resistant, lightweight, and extremely tough.
Musson knew bamboo was the perfect material for his sunglasses, and after some prototyping he developed his current line of solid bamboo sunglasses, including a unique hybrid line with a polycarbonate frame with bamboo temples.
Woodwear was born.
“A really cool feature of our solid bamboo models is that they float,” Musson said. “This is perfect for anyone that enjoys water sports that has lost a pair swimming.”
All of his sunglasses are handcrafted, with stainless steel spring hinges and multi-layered polarized lenses. The lightweight bamboo and hinges make the sunglasses very comfortable to wear, weighing about half of what typical sunglasses weigh.
Each style is named after local beach towns in California, including our hometown, Hermosa Beach.
Musson said he receives orders daily from all over the world. In one week he shipped sunglasses from his Hermosa Beach garage to customers in Turkey, England, Singapore, Australia and Slovenia.
Musson said he is currently working on several new models for the spring of 2013. He also hopes to launch a line of glasses specifically for prescription lenses.
Woodwear Sunglasses range from $85 to $120. For more information, visit woodwearsunglasses.com.