This Man Makes Wooden Eye-Wear to Cut Plastic Use & Support Local Art!

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The “root” of it all: Abzal Ameer, an avid motorcyclist and traveller is a soul who feels one with nature! Being shortsighted, eye wear has always been a constant in his life. He slowly realised that most glasses were made out of plastic. The Indian eyewear market alone was worth Rs 22,674 crore in 2016! Unsatisfied with the status quo, he started looking for alternative materials. This quest led him to discover wooden sunglasses. This was the metaphorical “light bulb” moment that one often quotes. Not only did wood add a great edge to the look but it also served as an answer to a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle product he wanted to make.

The three branches.

Reduce Plastic

The entire body is made out of FSC certified wood that is sourced from sustainably managed forests. The processes leave a lesser carbon footprint because they’re not using plastic. This is helping in reduction of non-biodegradable waste

Increase Forest Cover

Furthermore for every pair that is sold a tree is planted! Ensuring that together, we give back to the environment in whatever small ways we can as a community.

Community Involvement

They are now launching an all-new designer collection — featuring Indian folk art forms including Warli, Kalamkari and Madhubani. These designs are handcrafted by local artists and they want to genuinely support the creators — because they’ve done a fabulous job. For each sale that Woodium makes, the creator will receive a part of the royalty and even get featured on the website along with their signature collection.

The Journey

The company has been bootstrapped and the last two years have gone into extensive research, quality testing and early growth. From flea markets and social media sales to surf festivals, they have slowly but steadily been dipping their foot into the ocean.

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Crowdfunding

Abzal and his team now need Rs.4.5 Lakhs to scale up, manufacture this new “tribal art” collection and just go all out! They are currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry so that they can achieve this goal. To be eco-friendly and community conscious is the new wave coming over the whole fashion industry, it’s great to see young Indians taking part in this trend. 

Help Azfal and his team to take this fashion revolution forward by contributing to their crowdfunding campaign here. Backers can avail of discounts, first access and lots more. 

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