"From my rotting body" - A biodegradable SS21 by Monokel Eyewear

For SS21 Swedish brand Monokel Eyewear introduce a fully bio-based and biodegradable collection. Handcrafted, and still made to last, but not forever.

”From my rotting body, flowers shall grow, and I am in them, and that is eternity”. - E. Munch

Since their launch, Monokel Eyewear has used recycled acetate as the main material in their sunglasses. Their new acetate is still made mainly from cotton- and wood fibres, but is now also entirely bio-based and biodegradable. This new material has many environmental advantages, the most obvious one being that they’ll eventually decompose rather than ending up in landfills or as microplastics in the oceans.

We have always always highlighted the importance of a long product life cycle. But there is a limit to everything. Each product in this collection is still made to last for a very long time, but not forever. - Robert Sandgren, Co-Founder

Three new shapes form the foundation of the collection. The ”Polly” is a wide oval frame with thick temples for a mix of timeless and contemporary. The ”Memphis” presents sharper edges and a rectangular front, medium wide, but vertically slim. Finally, the ”Forest” frame is distilled from Monokel Eyewear’s large collection of vintage reading glasses. The result is a round style crafted in thin bio-acetate with Japanese hinges, stainless steel rivets and a key-hole nosebridge for an undeniably timeless aestethic and feel.

To ensure that they continue to live by their word, and as a foundation for continuous improvement, third party lab tests and factory audits are conducted with each production run.

The collection was photographed on friends Alma, Malik, Filip, Tom and Amanda at the Monokel Eyewear office in the Stockholm archipelago and in painter Johanna Robleto’s studio next door. Photographed by Annika Berglund with still life images by Robert Sandgren.