EXCLUSIVE: Meet Montserrat’s New Sustainable Sunglass Line
Montserrat New York is debuting its first sustainable eyewear line with eyewear-maker King Children this Friday.
The glasses — in two key styles and select colorways including fuschia, black and navy — are made with a special zero-waste 3D printing technology courtesy of King Children. Both “The Capri,” which is a classic cat-eye shape and “The Paros,” a ’90s-inspired rounded square style, were crafted with Montserrat’s flair for gold accents and architectural details. Some of that flair is attributed to cofounder and designer Carolina Cordón-Bouzán, who pairs influences from New York City and Barcelona for a Manhattan vacationer’s aesthetic.
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The styles retail for $195, exclusively online at Montserrat-nyc.com.
The collection also leans into a unique 3D printing technology called selective laser sintering, which reduces waste by etching out each frame from a fine polyamide powder, a 100 percent bio-based material from castor bean oil. The high-tech material is a substitute for traditional acetate and, according to King Children, does not compromise on design integrity. The company said the process generates a significant reduction in CO2 emissions compared to traditional eyewear companies.
“Our research estimates that for each frame produced, four pairs worth of material is thrown out. A traditional acetate frame is made by shaving down a block of plastic — a process which, unfortunately, only utilizes 20 percent of the actual material while the remaining 80 percent becomes production waste. With so much waste created for just a single pair of glasses it was clear that the traditional method is unsustainable,” said Sahir Zaveri, cofounder and chief executive officer of King Children, on the need for change.
Gayle Yelon, cofounder of Montserrat New York, said the collaboration highlights a shared passion for technological innovation and will set the tone for the brand’s next initiatives in the lab grown diamond space.
“Montserrat will continue to make advances in sustainability, most notably within the fine jewelry space as we continue to design solely using lab-grown diamonds. A diamond that we say is grown out of love for the planet, not taken from the planet….We’re excited to look toward technology to reimagine the ways we create product to better our planet.”
FOR MORE FROM WWD.COM ON SUSTAINABILITY, SEE:
Can Influencers Flip Climate Change’s Unglamorous View?
Shein’s Sustainability Head Sets Company Record Straight, What’s ‘Not True’
Textile Exchange Pushes Biosynthetics, ‘Phase Out’ of Fossil-based Synthetics
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