Coral Eyewear creates high-quality handmade, recycled glasses and sunglasses using materials such as rescued fishing nets. A brand committed to sustainability, Coral only uses recycled or bio-based materials for their frames and the material is made from rescued waste found at sea and in landfills. They also use recyclable packaging and their carbon-neutral delivery offsets environmental shipping costs too, meaning when purchasing a pair of Coral Eyewear glasses not only are you reusing plastic, also there is no impact on the environment.

We spoke to the one of the founders George Bailey to learn more about the exciting brand we have welcomed to Curated, Coral Eyewear…

Tell us a bit about Coral Eyewear and how it came about?

Our founding team have a background in the optical industry, looking after groups of opticians across the UK. Around four years they became frustrated with the lack of colour and style in sustainable collections and so developed Coral Eyewear with the support of the University of East Anglia.

The journey since then has seen the brand launch brand new materials into the eyewear industry in the UK and become an official eyewear supplier to major sports teams such as Great Britain Cycling team.

We are so excited to have your products at Curated, can you tell us a bit more about how they are made?

We have a few different collections at Coral Eyewear. Our first collection, which is still popular today, is created with ECONYL regenerated nylon. This process involves rescuing and recycling plastic from oceans and landfill all over the world. Anything which can be regenerated to nylon 6, including fishing nets, carpet waste and other post-consumer plastics are regenerated and then pelletised. This means we can reuse resources otherwise polluting our planet and reduce the need for crude oil, therefore reducing the global warming impact of nylon sunglasses.

Our most-recent collection combines recycled acetate with bio-based plastic created from wood pulp and other natural components. This combination allows for some of the stunning translucent sunglasses that have been popular in 2024.

We know that your glasses are made using recycled glasses and materials such as recycled fishing nets, tell us more about your sustainable initiatives and why they are so important to you?

The eyewear industry is awash with sunglasses created with new plastics and suppliers often send products out in plastic bags. Our packaging is all plastic-free and this week we launched our next initiative alongside the brilliant team at Ocean Co. Every pair of sunglasses bought online will fund the collection of 1kg of plastic from coastal locations (the equivalent of 88 plastic bottles). Our sister brand Pala has built its reputation on funding impact projects in Africa with over £50,000 donated to establishing eye-care projects in Africa. Through Pala supported eyecare centres, more than 80,000 patients have accessed vision centres in Africa, and our aim in working with Ocean Co is to extend our impact for people alongside collecting huge quantities of plastic to support our planet.

What makes your products unique?

With Coral and Pala we are looking to change lives with our social initiatives across the world. From a design perspective, we want to deliver style without compromise and make recycled products colourful and fun. 

Have you got any exciting upcoming plans/projects?

Later this year we will be launching our first collection of children’s glasses and sunglasses which will be part of a wider partnership with one of the UK’s most-loved brands.

Shop Coral Eyewear in Curated!