At this year’s Silmo, we found the sustainable eyewear brand Ochis, which creates awesome eyewear designs made out of sheets of upcycled coffee, which you could still smell on the uncut sheets. Double espresso anyone?
Sustainability acts as a core value for this young independent eyewear brand from Ukraine. They make their frames from used coffee grounds and natural oils hoping that this innovative material could become a planet-friendly alternative to plastic in the world of eyewear. Guests of SILMO Paris had a chance to interact with the new product: to touch, smell and try on the innovative glasses (and yes, they do smell like coffee!). After two years of experimenting and two more years of improving the quality of the new material, it is the company’s first international optical fair, and they are the only Ukrainian stand presented at SILMO 2022.
Ochis has invented the technology that helps to upcycle coffee waste and turn it into a waterproof material that is fully plant-based and free of chemicals. Its production does not involve any CO2 emissions and aims to reduce the carbon footprint by using locally sourced materials for its coffee-based glasses and cases. The final product has adjustable temples and is suitable for installing both optical and sun-protective lenses.
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The latest collection by Ochis embodies Ukrainian nature. The capsule was born as a way to preserve the beauty of their native land by combining used coffee grounds and Ukrainian field flowers in a single frame. Ochis Tsvit (meaning ‘bloom’ in Ukrainian) is dedicated to Ukraine’s resilience in the face of a brutal war on its freedom and identity.
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“We created the world’s first coffee-based glasses in Ukraine, and we have always been inspired by the richness of the nature around us, feeling a strong connection with the earth as a source of life and beauty. As we are fighting for our independence and freedom like all Ukrainians, we see our unity flourishing with renewed vigor and witness the new Ukrainian national identity forming from a closed bud into full blossom.
In an attempt to encapsulate this transformation we have inserted the flower petals of plants commonly grown in Ukrainian fields into each frame. Mentions of them permeate our folklore, our songs and poems; they bloom in our wreaths and on our traditional embroidered shirts. From now on, they will bloom in eyeglass frames, too, depicting our native roots.”
The yellow sunflower stands for the unshakable will (“volya” in Ukrainian). Red marigolds represent infinite strength (syla). The blue cornflowers symbolize beauty (krasa). Other materials that Ochis uses to add colour to the frame surface include flax, turmeric and coconut powder, making each pair unique thanks to the unpredictable ways that the patterns reveal themselves through the process of polishing.
About Ochis Eyewear
Ochis (pronounced oh-cheez) is a Ukrainian brand making the world’s first coffee-based eyewear. Used coffee grounds get mixed with natural oils to form a new plant-based material that is waterproof, has a matte texture and keeps the coffee aroma for months to come. Thanks to the unique production technology, each frame is a combination of functionality, design and green innovation, making all Ochis eco-conscious, ergonomic and universal — a sustainable staple accessory and a new word in the sphere of optics.
Read more about this beautiful American brand on TEF Magazine or visit their website.
