Frame of the Year 2019

Bird Sunglasses is a newcomer to the frame design scene, but this did not stop the sustainability-focused brand from scooping the Optician Award for Frame of the Year with its nature-inspired frames. Launched in March 2017 with a successful crowdfunded campaign, the company has gone from strength to strength.

Part of Bird Sunglasses’ Strata range, the winning unisex Blackcap frames feature a wooden construction and a distinctive horizontal colour split, with the bottom half of the rims employing a contrasting light-coloured wood to create a stand-out look. Blackcap took its name and two-tone look from the bird of the same name, with the company’s owner Ed Bird explaining that the natural world has always inspired him: ‘If you want beautiful, purposeful design then there’s no better place to look than nature.’ This is further evidenced through the frame’s use of multiple layers of sustainably sourced ash, bamboo, sandalwood and beechwood.