A fresh vision for sustainable eyewear.

Sean’s solution was Local Supply, a range of sunglasses ethically constructed and aesthetically timeless in silhouette that have been spotted on the likes of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, singer Rita Ora and model Lara Worthington, who recently designed her own capsule collection with the brand.

“From a consumer perspective, at that time I felt like there wasn't a brand of sunglasses that were cool, good quality and affordable. I wanted a pair to just put on and walk outside, without thinking too much about them,” Sean explains.

Plant-based eyewear

This was in 2013, back when far fewer brands in the mainstream fashion industry were considering their impact on the environment.

When looking into different models for sustainable production, Sean says he decided against using recycled materials because “recycled plastic can only really be recycled once – it degrades.” Even bamboo, which was often touted as an alternative to acetate, wasn’t quite right.

The solution he eventually landed on was a plant-based resin derived from castor bean plants. Sean says he was immediately taken by the fact that the plants grow in semi-arid conditions, so they aren’t competing for land with food crops.

Saving the leftovers

Materials locked in, the next phase was to secure a manufacturer that could create the sunglasses with the smallest possible carbon footprint and minimal waste. This, says Sean, proved a little trickier.

“When we started…the factories hadn't actually worked with this material at all. So the whole process has been quite new,” he says.

Sean eventually found a manufacturer based out of Shenzhen, China, that was familiar with the resin. Collaborating on the best way to make his product with the smallest possible environmental impact, Sean helped develop a zero-waste injection method that feeds excess resin back into the moulding system. While this may sound like common sense, Sean says the leftovers from assemblage in eyewear production are surprisingly high.

“Even if you were to make a handmade pair [of sunglasses], you'd have a sheet of acetate. You'd put two eye holes in it, the nose bridge, and 90 to 95 per cent of that stuff is ending up on the factory floor, right? So it’s a problem even with handmade eyewear… this was something we had to work on with our factory,” Sean says.

By Benjamen Judd