The history of Proof Eyewear, an eyewear brand
The history of Proof Eyewear, an eyewear brand
Proof Eyewear is an eyewear company founded in 2010 in Iowa, USA.
The office that had been set up by the three brothers for $5,000 was also in a messy garage.
Now, they have sold their glasses to more than 20 countries around the world.
is a model of entrepreneurship in Iowa.
The Dame brothers wanted to bring some change to the eyewear industry, so they have been looking for a variety of new materials to make sunglasses and myopia glasses.
We also apply these materials to our own products.
Tanner Dame, COO, of Proof Eyewear.Photo Courtesy of Proof Eyewear.Sustainable Materials, 2009,
The three brothers had conceived of setting up a company to specialize in wooden eyewear.
A year later, they founded Proof Eyewear.
At that time, wooden glasses were far from being popular now, and there were very few brands that made wooden glasses at that time.
And most of the designs are not trendy enough.
For the three Dame brothers, making wooden glasses seems like a legacy – their grandfather once owned a sawmill in Knab, Utah.
Tanner, one of the three brothers, recalls that their memories of growing up are inseparable from sawdust.
They used to help out in the sawmill as well.
Familiar with wood, they began sourcing wood from the western United States and Canada.
Although the concept of making glasses out of wood is novel,
But they don't want to limit their thinking:
"There are so many raw materials that can be used to make eyeglasses.
Some classic styles we can't make from wood either. ”
So, they were constantly looking for new materials to make glasses.
No matter what the material is, they have one principle, that is, it must be ecological.
In order to compete with plastic glasses, the mainstream products of the eyewear industry, they use cellulose acetate as raw materials.
It is a material that is extracted from wood pulp.
In addition, they use recycled aluminum.
There's no doubt that wood is a sustainable material, Tanner says,
And aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and goods are made from these two materials.
It's a good choice.
YC9705 Universal Sunglasses C2 Matte Black/Colorful Blue This Spring,
The company successfully launched its first aluminium eyewear product line through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.
Doing good is part of the business modelIn fact, making eco-friendly eyewear is just one part of Proof Eyewear's business philosophy.
The company has launched a product take-back policy, and last year, the company donated 12% of its sales to nonprofits.
Tanner says they want to do more than just glasses.
He believes that the value of a brand needs to go beyond the product itself to be meaningful.
Therefore, they go to developing countries every year, such as India,
Philippines, Nepal, etc.
There, the company helped improve local ophthalmology medical conditions,
To provide reliable optometry and opticians services to patients.
Tanner emphasized that they want all employees in the company to be involved.
They will reimburse the employee for all the expenses they have in the local area, and the employee only needs to pay for the return ticket.
Sagawa Fujii 7395DC01W Trendy Plate Wood Full Frame Plus Size Unisex Imitation Wood Black Myopia Glasses In India,
They have partnered with Aravind Eye Care, a volunteer organization dedicated to improving access to eye care in developing countries.
Located in Madurai, South India.
Tanner said the company chose to partner with Aravind because of its business model.
Aravind has a way to generate a steady stream of income from public good.
Aravind uses a tiered pricing approach:
Consumers can pay Rs 50 to get three eye check-ups,
Even if they can't afford it, they can still enjoy free check-ups.
Tanner believes that this model can bring a certain amount of income,
This way, Aravind doesn't have to go through constant fundraising to stay afloat.
The company keeps the concept of "giving back" in mind.
"We didn't start a business to be rich."
Tanner said.
Sagawa Fujii 7423D Plate Wood C03w Imitation Wood Dark Red Myopia Glasses Frame This year,
Proof Eyewear's products are ready to make their way to Uganda.
Of course, for them, the local market is also important.
They want to make a local contribution as well, whether it's environmental protection or breast cancer treatment.
In fact, employees can make recommendations to the company on areas where they want the company to better implement their social obligations.
The three brothers believe that this is one of the effective ways for employees to participate in the actual operation of the company.
Helps create a more relaxed and cohesive team.
Vierra Reid, the company's head of marketing, said that the relationship between the company's founders and employees is very harmonious.
You can even have afternoon tea together like a friend.
As the company constantly engages in philanthropy,
At present, the company can be counted as B Corporation.
B Corporation is an emerging company model abroad.
These companies are committed to harnessing the power of business to solve social and environmental problems).
B Corporation's philosophy emphasizes three business bottom lines where a company is more important than profitability.
The company is profitable, and the three brothers have long since moved out of the garage.
They said they didn't want to create a so-called "big and complete" company.
I just want to do a good job in the subdivision.
The three brothers believe that their entrepreneurial story is not so remarkable.
The company is just developing steadily, and there is no miracle of "one step to the sky".
However, this slow pace of development is more able to keep them calm.
See the direction.
Branded eyewear wooden glasses.