Cubitts x Toast take the eco route for eyewear collab

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
May 18, 2023

Fashion and homewares retailer Toast has teamed up with eyewear maker Cubitts for a first and exclusive collaboration featuring a limited-run of unisex sunglasses.

With a shared value for “skilled craftsmanship, longevity, and the art of repair”, they said the collab “holds circulatory, community and innovative design at its core”.
 
So the limited-edition Frederick Redux Sunglasses come crafted from waste chips of cellulose acetate gathered from the Cubitts workshop floor with the frames “taking a unique green-tinged mottled melange”, rendered in the style of Cubitts’ bestselling product.  

The accompanying hand-dyed and hand-woven eyewear pouches are also made from remnant materials from the Toast production process.These are hand kantha-stitched by artisans in India, supported by Fair Trade cooperative Sasha. Like the Redux frames, no two are the same, they noted.
 
The frames also come with a two-year warranty and 30-day no-quibble return, alongside guaranteed repairs and reglazes for life and a complementary frame rehab after a year.
 
Tom Broughton, founder at Cubitts, said: “Frame making is a 'reductive' process, where the material is milled away. But this creates a new problem — waste — which can be up to 80% of the overall volume. Historically there's been no way to make use of the offcuts, and so it ends up in landfill.  But we want to change that, starting with this collaboration.
 
“Together we've created a new but beautiful form of 'Redux' material, using entirely waste material, reborn, repurposed and reimagined.”
 
Nikki Sher, Head of Product at Toast, added: “We recognise that there is power in partnership, and so we are proud to launch our first eyewear collaboration with Cubitts, who share our passion for making pieces that are designed for longevity – both in style and life cycle. 
 
“We hope that by bringing the Toast and Cubitts communities together, we will inspire more people to play a part in conscious consumption through circularity.”