Sustainable Fashion Startup Wires Glasses Begins Crowdfunding Campaign

By James White | Sunday, 13 June 2021 | Startup, Sustainability & Environment

The sustainable fashion industry is reinventing all types of clothing and accessories with eco-conscious business models and materials. In an effort to protect the environment, new methods of manufacturing, recycling, and waste reduction are used to minimize the ecological impact of a notoriously wasteful industry. Startup company Wires Glasses is currently seeking support from crowdfunding investors to produce its eco-friendly eyewear collection and bring it to market.

“One of the biggest and growing concerns around this industry is the big waste,” said Angela Zanella, production director at the startup business. “With Wires we went in a different direction, and we have tried to push design in a way never done before.”

Wires hopes to generate a little more than $28,000 for its sustainable fashion company through the Kickstarter campaign. The startup business has just over one month to meet the all-or-nothing funding goal for its disruptive eyewear collection. So far, Wires has found support from almost 40 investors, who have contributed nearly $13,600 to the sustainable fashion company.

Early investors in the startup business have a chance to secure a pair of Wires glasses at a 30% discount from the expected retail price of $210. If Wires successfully meets the funding goal for its business, the startup company expects to begin delivering shipments of its eco-friendly eyewear in Spring 2022.

Reducing Waste With Modular Design

Wires is driven forward by a small team of women with the ambition to dramatically cut waste from the eyewear industry. Whereas typical eyeglass frames are cut from a block of plastic, the startup company instead uses a single piece of stainless steel wire to construct the frame. The result is a product that produces very little in the way of excess plastic and waste for a pair of glasses.

Glasses from Wires lack screws or hinges but maintain performance by using an intelligent design. Frames are handcrafted in Italy, and the sustainable fashion business uses 3D printed bioplastics for the temple tips. Lenses and rims are also 3D printed using a “bio-nylon derivative from castor beans.” The startup company claims that the manufacturing process for its plant-based lenses produces less carbon dioxide emissions than typical polycarbonate lenses.

Furthermore, lenses and rims from the startup company feature a modular design, allowing wearers to easily swap or recycle and replace old lenses without having to throw away the frame. The startup business offers several styles of frames and numerous tints and shapes of lenses for sunglasses as well as prescription and non-prescription optical glasses.

Disrupting a Massive Market

Wires is continuing to bring the wave of sustainable fashion to new divisions of the industry. Market research projects the global eyewear market to reach nearly $279 billion by 2028.

Other businesses in the sustainable eyewear market include Waterhaul, which makes sunglasses and optical glasses from plastic intercepted from the ocean, and Proof Eyewear, which uses sustainable materials including wood, recycled aluminum, and plant-based plastics. Wires may find some competition in the industry; however, each company seems to employ its own unique process as they strive to produce greener products.

About the Author

James White

James White is a Michigan State University graduate with a BS in Environmental Biology. He is interested in reporting emerging trends in technology, especially with regard to alternative energy and environmental conservation.