Source: business.transworld.net
As more and more companies look to ways to create sustainable products and manufacturing processes, new start-ups are popping up across the board that have foundations in that philosophy. Hemp Eyewear, a new sunglasses brand created by Sam Whitten of Glasgow, UK, is one of those companies. Whitten has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds needed to begin the first round of production, coming off a successful New Designers 2014 tradeshow in London. The frames, made from a hemp composite material consisting of hemp and flax fibres, are formed through a compression moulding process, creating a strong, lightweight, sustainable product, according to Whitten’s Kickstarter page. All the materials used in Hemp Eyewear’s production are sustainable and eco-friendly, the brand says.
For more information on the brand’s story, read below, and check out the Kickstarter page to learn more about how to support Hemp Eyewear’s goal.
Here’s more on Hemp Eyewear’s Story, from founder Sam Whitten:
The idea for hemp sunglasses started when I was researching renewable raw materials for my final year (BA Hons Product Design) project and discovered hemp to be one of the most sustainable and useful materials on the planet.
By looking at the applications hemp could be used for, I discovered that there was no hemp sunglasses on the market, so decided to design and manufacture my own.
The initial prototypes were manufactured in the university workshop by hand. This workshop closed down as the course terminated after the final semester, leaving me without a workspace to develop the prototypes further.
I moved back home to the Scottish Borders and continued the development of the idea in my garage/makeshift workshop. This is where I started producing some of the first wearable and finished sunglasses.
In June I started working with fellow student Bradley Smith (BA Hons Graphic Design) who developed the branding of hemp eyewear as well as taking care of the graphic design for the project.
We started working towards an exhibition date which began at the beginning of July in London. Bradley designed the hemp eyewear website, set up the Facebook and twitter page and took product photo’s of the sunglasses in time for the design show.
Hemp eyewear featured in New Designers 2014 exhibition at the Business Design Centre in London where the sunglasses were exhibited to a large audience for the first time.
The response for the hemp sunglasses was extremely encouraging and they were featured in the top 5 favourite products of New Designers 2014 on the cool hunting website: http://www.coolhunting.com/design/londons-new-designers-2014-part-2.php
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