Lady LUX

If you want to buy chic eyewear, why not choose a socially conscious brand? Shauns Shades offers not only style, but a mission to solve visual impairment and eliminate blindness. Every time a consumer buys a pair, someone in need receives free eyeglasses under the “Buy One Give Sight” program.

Having struggled with vision himself, founder Shaun Paterson wanted to reach out and help others who lack proper eye health care. About 285 million people around the globe suffer from visual challenges. To date, the eyeglasses company has donated 5,000 pairs of glasses.

“I wanted to create a business model that enabled our customers to contribute to solving a significant social problem,” Paterson explained. “I have always believed in people’s willingness to be part of the solution and our collective ownership for these problems and their solutions.”

Inspired by retro, vintage and aviator styles, the glasses are based on classic silhouettes elevated through subtle detailing. Available in a range of trendy styles, there are options to flatter every type of face.

“Whatever glasses you choose to wear reflect a strong statement about your personal style. They are on your face so they’re never going unnoticed and so you want to get it right …You want something that is made of fine materials because that’s tough to hide, complements your face shape and skin tone and that conveys a little about yourself. I hope people feel confident and attractive in our glasses; they can be quite an uplifting accessory,” Paterson said.

All products are crafted by Italian artisans in small factories using Carl Zeiss lenses, considered the international leader in optics quality, and coated with anti-reflection and 100-percent UV protection.

“We don’t want our frames to dominate the wearer in a costumey way. We want beautiful, wearable frames that delight their owners as they discover all of the little touches that make our frames so special,” Paterson maintained.

Visual problems can invade almost every aspect of one’s life, and people without access to vision correction can have a diminished quality of life. Paterson reports seeing people come into his clinics whose visual impairment has been a key factor in making them poor.

“Very few (visually impaired) people could do their job, go to school, look after their children, transport themselves – it gets stressful very quickly,” he said. “The human/emotional factors are pretty similar no matter where you live. Fortunately, most people in the developed world can resolve the issue in a matter of seconds by putting their glasses back on. Wouldn’t it be exciting if that were the case for the whole world?”

As a glasses wearer himself, Paterson dons a pair of Shauns Shades every day. He counts himself lucky that he has the resources to purchase vision correction, without which he would be legally blind.

Shauns Shades was born directly out of the need to acknowledge that everyone deserves to be able to fulfill this basic need. The company’s mission is echoed in the frames’ detail. The logo, appearing as three simple dots, represents the letter “S” in Braille. The inside of the side hinge features a metal cap engraved with “give sight.”

“They bring a chance for you to embrace your love of truly premium quality glasses, while also allowing you to effect change in the life of someone in need,” the founder declared. “I believe that it’s disingenuous to stereotype people too aggressively and that there are many people out there with multiple passions, and even some tensions. Our frames and brand allows you to savor these passions and embrace your tensions as opposed to having to choose between them.”

Check out the styles at www.shaunsshades.com.

Tagged in: lux exclusives, eyewear, eyeglasses, glasses, shauns shades,

Fashion / Features