David Green Eyewear at 100% Optical

David Green Eyewear has been bringing a passion for nature into eyewear for 17 years.

David Green, founder of the brand, told OT: “My purpose in life is to bring nature to the cities of the world.”

Exhibiting at 100% Optical in April, Green shared how he incorporates natural elements into his frames, from real leaves and reeds to mother of pearl.

Inspiration surrounds Green, he explained, as he lives in a forest in Newlands, in Cape Town, South Africa. “I walk virtually every day in the forest and get inspired every day. Right now, my kitchen looks like a mad scientist’s. We try things all the time,” he said.

The brand’s 2022 campaign encourages people to ‘change the way that you see the world,’ Green said, calling people to: “Open your eyes and let nature inspire you.”

The role of the eyewear industry in making sustainable change is “huge,” Green noted.

“If people buy sustainable eyewear, they are buying into a cause, and they are making a most prominent statement. This is how we need to change. We need to change our projection to be more sustainable,” he said, adding that there is no better way to do this than through eyewear.