Ever heard about fashion with a cause? Meet Helios, sustainable polarised sunglasses made from recycled ocean plastics and one of our privileged sponsors for the first edition of the C Kite Festival at C Mauritius – C Kite Festival with Antoine Auriol.
Created in 2010, Helios Eyewear by Plastinax Eyewear is the sole injected eyewear manufacturer in the Indian Ocean. Thanks to their collaboration with Resogreen Ltd, Helios Eyewear was able and is still using broken down and shredded PET plastic bottles for fashion.
Bye-Bye to waste on our island and ocean.
Don’t you think this innovative upcycling process is Cool?! This is definitely fashion with a cause, right?
Keep scrolling as Ingrid De Speville, Brand Manager at Plastinex Eyewear, and Helios Eyewear share more about these eco-friendly superb shades.
Where did the idea of creating sunglasses out of broken plastic come from and why?
As we are on a tropical island, where the sun is present throughout the year, the team found it necessary to provide this qualitative product to our fellow Mauritians at an affordable price. As a manufacturer who caters for international brands and being conscious of the price of polarized sunglasses on the market, we wanted to privilege the health of the eyes of our community above all. The brand was created and started with the sunglasses collection and along the years, we decided to add the kids’ collections as well as optical frames for the whole family.
‘Eco-friendly eyewear’, what do you mean by this?
Most of our collections are made from Grilamid, which is a revolutionary bio-based polymer that consists of 58% vegetal oil. Even though it is plastic, it is a lot less harmful than crude oil plastics when lost or thrown into the environment. Besides the Grilamid collections, in our endeavor to be a sustainable brand, we added several other collections being the:
- Handmade bamboo collection
- Wood fibre collection
- Cellulose Acetate collection (100% Bio-based collection)
- Recycled eyewear and production plastic waste collection (Second Life Collection)
- Recycled PET plastic collection (For.Sea Collection)
These collections are either made from natural materials (wood and cotton linters) or recycled plastics, allowing us to have eco-friendly eyewear that does not harm or affect very little the environment or preserves our environment from plastic pollution. We are more than aware of how plastics are an issue and how they degrade biodiversity. So, we do not want to be part of the problem but the solution.
Tell us about Helios Eyewear best-sellers. The next innovation?
We have models that are all-time bestsellers like Moa, Matrix and Tao. We do not make fast fashion pieces and stick to classics, for us, this is also being sustainable since trends that are hype and then phase out create a lot of waste. We prefer classics that will accompany you over several years. So, our bestsellers form part of our more eco collections, so that people are more willing to buy eco-responsible products at very affordable prices. Our newest innovation is our 100% bio-based sunglasses that are made of cellulose acetate. They are constituted of around 70% of cotton linters and approximately 30% of citrate-based solvents, making the frame 100% natural. It does not require any varnish and has zero toxicity levels.
A Giveback program that everyone can be part of 1 for 1 GIVEBACK PROGRAMThe 1 for 1 program was created to “give back” to our community and our environment. After the pandemic, we all experienced rising prices for essentials. If some of us have been able to adapt to this, we are aware that there are people in our community who may have had difficulties, even before the pandemic occurred. With this in mind, the program has two sections:
- Donation
- Sensitization
Each pair of Helios Eyewear bought (with no additional cost) is a contribution to the fund. The fund allows us to provide eyewear and eyecare to 150 people minimum per year and sensitize at least 1200 people yearly on the pressing issues of plastic pollution, degradation of biodiversity and the need to conserve our natural resources for a healthier planet. Polarized sunglasses and prescriptive glasses are given to those in need. Being in the industry, we know the astounding prices of those, and we feel that eye care is essential that needs to be accessible for all. For the first actions, we have been lucky to have partners such as the ENL Foundation, Ezio Optician, Mission Verte and Odysseo-Oceanarium who accompany us on our mission.
We hope that others join us in our endeavor over time so that we can do more for our island.
Tell us more on your collaboration with C Mauritius
Helios Eyewear started with the tagline « Action in Style » since we have been providing sports eyewear since our very beginnings. We understand and value sport activities to have a healthy lifestyle and have many athletes amongst our ambassadors. The brand often sponsors events that revolve around the sports world as it is an opportunity for us to promote our local products that are « Sea Friendly” and reach out to this market.
Why would you tell people to buy your products?
We are a Made in Moris brand that makes products that are eco-friendly and use a percentage of the profits to help our island. By buying our products, you are supporting the Mauritian workforce, purchasing high-quality eyewear that is caring for the environment and helping your community, your island, and your planet. Not to mention the value for money. Our frames are durable and flexible; we offer a year warranty on any manufacturing defects and have an aftersales service that will allow you to repair your pair anytime at a minimal fee. If your pair cannot be repaired, you can return it to us (we accept other brands as well) and you get 15% off on a brand-new pair of Helios Eyewear.
In a few words, what would you say is Helios Eyewear’s contribution to the World?
Helios Eyewear is an Authentic, Fun and Caring brand that has a dedicated team of people with a sustainable mindset. We are constantly learning, innovating, and evolving to provide better solutions that will reduce our impact on the environment and help the people. The brand makes products that do not harm the planet, reduce the impact of plastic on the environment and help the community for a better world.
If you are looking to be part of this cool environment-conscious journey, seize the promo code WELCOME10 and get 10% OFF on your first purchase!
