One of the things I enjoy the most about blogging is learning of small, independent brands. It’s nicer still when the company is ethical and supports Fair Trade or artisans.  I’d like to bring two such businesses to your attention. Both sent me a gift, but I was under no obligation to write about them. This isn’t a sponsored post, I simply love the products and ethos. I’m going to begin though by writing about sustainable eyewear.

Sustainable Eyewear: Bamboo and Hemp

We’re all aware of sustainable fashion and this has filtered down into the optical industry. Eyewear brands are recognising the need for sustainable eyewear and alternative frame materials. They are designing glasses for the conscious consumer. Consequently, there are several innovative frame materials which are sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable.

I should say that don’t have any association with either of the spectacle frame brands I mention here. They both caught my eye but for different reasons. I was intrigued by Hemp Eyewear which I saw last month at 100% Optical. And when I did an online search for sustainable eyewear, MonkeyGlasses really stood out which is why I included them.

Bamboo has been a popular material in eco-clothing for some time now. It’s fast-growing, easily sustainable, lightweight and durable. These properties make it the perfect sustainable eyewear.

Hemp is one of the most eco-friendly and renewable resources on the planet. It’s the fibre of the cannabis plant, extracted from the stem. (Not be confused with marijuana!) Hemp has been used for years to make rope, fabrics and paper. Like bamboo, it’s fast-growing.  As well as that, it requires very little water and no pesticides, herbicides or synthetic fertilizers.

Hemp Eyewear has developed the world’s first plant fibre eyewear. This Edinburgh-based brand combined leading-edge technology with traditional methods of craftsmanship to produce innovative, forward-thinking sustainable eyewear. I love this concept.

Sustainable Eyewear: A “New” Type Of Plastic

Cotton acetate is another new(ish) frame material. It’s a type of plastic made from cotton cellulose and wood pulp. It’s stronger than many oil-based plastics. As a result, spectacle frames have greater impact resistance. Not only that, unlike traditional plastics, it’s biodegradable. From a style aspect, it can look like wood, horn or crystal too. The glasses below are from sustainable Danish eyewear brand, MonkeyGlasses. They use cotton acetate and also recycled leather in their production.

Style with substance I’m sure you’ll agree.

Fair Trade Accessories

And now for some accessories. Lucy Macnamara set up Fair Trade brand Aspiga  ten years ago. Lucy sources beaded sandals, bags and belts from artisans in Kenya. It’s such a happy website. The colours and styles are cheerful and vibrant and the icing on the cake is the company ethos.

How fabulous are those leopard print sandals? Lucy sent this blue and black beaded clutch to me and I accessorised my black tie outfit with it last month. It’s gorgeous and it comes in other colours too.

The second brand I’d like to mention is a Nigerian based accessories brand called Joela Leather. They specialise in handbags and pouches, all of which are a little bit different.

They sent me a set of personalised purple and orange sequinned pouches. Isn’t the colour combination lovely?

And Finally…

In other news, my camera STILL isn’t back! It’s been away for repair for almost three weeks now. When my blog and therefore part of my income depends on it, it’s really quite frustrating. However, I’m doing a lot behind the scenes with my blog, my social media and various other things too. I’ve even had more time to read and take long walks, so it really isn’t all bad! And I’ll soon catch up with my photography when I get it back.

Thank you to everyone for the lovely comments, emails and messages about my previous post. I’m very touched and I think it shows just how many of us are, or have been, in the same boat. I’m feeling a lot lot better this week and I’m truly looking forward to the next steps and to getting “sorted.”

I had my appointment with the ophthalmologist too and he confirmed that I do indeed have two meibomium cysts (chalazia) in my upper eyelid. I’ll have them removed in a few weeks time. Again, something I’m looking forward to. Let’s hope I’ll be as good as new by the summer!

I’ll be doing my ususual “Soccer Mom” duties all weekend and I have a nice little Mother’s Day work assignment too on Saturday afternoon which I’m looking forward to. I’ll write about it next week. Have a lovely weekend.