With a new wave of innovations reshaping the worlds of SUP, surf and sustainability we wanted to dedicate some of this space to exciting, innovative and disruptive ventures with a potential to improve and redefine the sport and impact the world in a positive way. We wanted to create a platform, to start a conversation, to invite epic people and badass entrepreneurs turning their passion into cool products, solutions and generally creating amazing experiences for their users.
We caught up with Dave and Jo Hughes, the duo behind Moonshine Eyewear, an eco-responsible brand, producing high performance, uniquely styled eyewear, entirely constructed from second use recycled plastic.
What is your brand story and vision?
Our brand story…How to sum it up? We (Dave + Jo) have spent an awfully long time in harsh but beautiful environments. One constant necessity has always been eye protection, goggles or sunglasses. And because it’s always been necessary, eventually you get to thinking “I could make these. BETTER.” Better to us meant sustainable, affordable and stylish. And so we set about creating sunglasses (and next year ski goggles) from recycled plastic. We keep the price low by not spending money on advertising. Our brand vision is to produce sunglasses that are the equal of the big players but at a reasonable price and eco-responsible. The more we sell, the more plastic we can recycle.
What is the most challenging aspect of building a brand founded on sustainability?
Offering a premium product without the price tag means we don’t pass on the associated advertising costs to the customer. This makes it incredibly hard to gain brand awareness. But by doing things differently and collaborating with other brands/teams/athletes, we have managed to gain a substantial social media following. Working with good people on worthwhile projects is something that we always try to do. We believe that by doing the right thing it will pay off for the brand in the long run.
What’s innovative/disruptive about your brand?
Everything we do is innovative/disruptive. We know that it costs Oakley, Ray-Ban etc, pennies to produce their product. Our aim is to disrupt the eyewear industry. We want people to have high quality, style and value. And we want to do some eco goodness whilst we’re at it. Moonshine is about being the little guy in the backwoods, producing something pure and distilled. Without the high price.
Who is your product for?
Everyone.
What’s next for Moonshine Eyewear?
We’re a family company with a super friendly vibe. We don’t want to change that by growing too fast. We will continue to do exciting projects with innovative, forward thinking partners and we will see what happens.
To find out more and explore the Moonshine Eyewear collection of sunglasses from handcrafted Oak and Buffalo horn, to Recycled plastic, visit www.moonshineeyewear.com