A Derbyshire based ‘SME’ that makes wooden sunglasses from upcycled and responsibly sourced hardwood wins glasto green trader award 2016!
Eco-minded, family business; Moat House Eyewear have ‘Secured the Sustainable Crown’ following this year’s Glastonbury Festival and will be invited to trade free of charge at next year’s event. Proud owners Sam & Nick Clarke pride themselves on being Britain’s only manufacturer of hand-crafted, wooden sunglasses. The business first began in a Medieval Moat House, hence the brand name and has gone from strength to strength since their launch in April 2013.
Wooden Sunglasses are growing in popularity as consumers seek out eye-catching accessories from a sustainable source. Most brands of wooden sunglasses are machine made, from bamboo but Moat House Eyewear take sustainability and style one step further using only certified or upcycled hardwoods such as Purple Heart, African Blackwood and Zebrano.
The company uses a laser to cut the wood ensuring minimal wood wastage and then assemble all of the components by hand. Each unique piece of eyewear withstands approximately 3 hours of hand-sanding before it is ready to be nourished with a protective, skin-friendly wax.
With a heartfelt passion for saving the planet, Moat House commits to planting an endangered tree in the Rainforest for every pair sold, via charity ‘Endangered Species International’ making them one of the most sustainable brands of eyewear, globally.
In addition to retail, the business model includes shows and events, selling direct to the public, offering consumers fantastic discounts from the usual RRP.
Sam and Nick Clarke came up with the idea for the business soon after moving in to ‘The Moat House’, Appleby Magna. An old oak tree in the grounds of the house had lost a limb and the wood was being used as firewood. Nick was from a carpentry background and Sam asked him to make something with the wood as it seemed criminal to keep burning it. Hours later, the very first pair of ‘Moats’ were created. Mesmerised by the process Nick looked into tooling and equipment which would enable them to turn their love of wood into a viable business. Three months later Sam had given up her job in recruitment to join Nick in launching Moat House Eyewear. Initially they ran the business from home, juggling work around children and very long hours in the garage. They recruited the services of British Engineers to design bespoke tools to overcome manufacturing problems and eventually they had invested in all the equipment needed to perform the whole process in-house. This offered full control over cost, timeframes and quality. They soon outgrew the workshop and committed to a local authority manufacturing unit in a nearby village, employing up to 7 team members at any one time.
“We are absolutely delighted to have won the Green Trader Award, it was our first time trading at Glastonbury and there is real synergy between the festival’s ethics and our own. We cannot wait to go back next year and do it all again. It’s a wonderful place which everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime” Sam Clarke – Founder / Managing Director
“We love exhibiting our products at shows and selling direct to the public. It offers us an opportunity to gain valuable feedback on styles and preferences and it makes all of the hard work and long hours worthwhile when you see how inspired people are by our work.” Nick Clarke – Founder / Production Director