eco by SRO

Creative direct a signature collection of certified-recycled eyewear.

I love eyewear. I was the child who always wanted to wear her mother's glasses (if they only didn't make me so dizzy!) In hindsight, I'm thankful that I have good eyesight, but my interest in beautiful optical jewelry never waned. When MODO approached me to create a signature collection of eyewear—(the first ever certified-recycled eyewear nonetheless)—I was thrilled! We took a year to fully map out and create the collection of sunglasses and specs (eco by Summer Rayne Oakes), which later led to another collaboration—ecoSafari—inspired by my travels throughout Africa. The initial collection built off of classic cat-eye and retro silhouettes, but with an updated, more modern approach.

As per many of my design collaborations, we thought through how we can feasibly improve upon the entire chain of custody. for one, eco is the first line of eyewear to receive an environmental claims validation (ECV) from UL Environment, which officially certifies the brand is made of recycled materIAl. the cases are made of recycled PET and the packaging is also made with recycled cardboard. the entire brand itself has been aligned with trees for the future, which plants a tree for every pair of frames sold. modo also made Returning glasses for recycling very easy.

After we launched the eco by SRO line of eyewear, we explored the idea of a "SAFARI" line. One of the things that I lamented when traveling through mozambique was the need for good sunglasses that could withstand getting a little beaten up. We made this collection with high-quality wooden stems and flexible springs that allowed the glasses to bend without breaking easily (perfect for when you accidentally leave them in your back pocket). 

The eco by Summer Rayne Oakes and ecosafari collection are available at the modo shop, online here.

< Back to Projects page   |   Related Projects: