Our new range of coffee frame sunglasses are crafted from natural waste materials and recycled into eco-friendly sunglasses with sustainable wooden arms.
We call them… The Yugen!
The coffee bean frames
These unique looking frames have been crafted from leftover coffee grounds, the by-product of drinking coffee, as well as wheat straw, the by-product of harvesting wheat. These natural materials are then mixed with a biopolymer to bind them together into a plastic substitute that can be moulded into a block and laser cut into shape.
This coffee bean and biopolymer mix creates a pair of sunglasses that have the same desirable properties of plastic such as flexibility, strength and durability while avoiding the negative and harmful effects that plastic production has on the environment. The coffee waste and wheat flax create a speckled appearance when manufactured into a plastic substitute, although the frames themselves are smooth to the touch.
The wooden arms
The wooden arms for these sunglasses have been crafted from either walnut wood or bamboo. Walnut is a hardwood that has a colour ranging from a light pale brown to a dark chocolate brown with dark brown streaks. Its grain is fairly regular and straight which contrasts well with the light brown, speckled colour of the coffee frames.
Bamboo is a highly sustainable plant species, known for its fast growth and versatility. It can be used for a wide range of applications, including the arms for our sunglasses. It comes in a range of colours as it is easily dyed or stained, which is why the arms on these sunglasses have a striking, multicolour look to them. Furthermore, bamboo can be harvested every three to five years, compared to the typical 20-50 years for most hardwood trees, making it a highly renewable resource.
The Polarised Lenses
Our lenses are made from triacetate cellulose (TAC) and contain a polarising layer specifically designed to block 100% of UVA and UVB light to prevent reflective glare from entering your eyes. This gives you greater definition and reduces surface glare from reflective surfaces such as water, enabling you to see clearly in bright light. For more information on our polarised lenses, click here.