Sun protection aside, a good pair of sunglasses acts as an exclamation point for your outfit. Whether you’re searching for an investment pair or like to change up your look regularly, these Australian and New Zealand brands have you covered.
As Y2K trends reverberate throughout the latest collections, this summer is the perfect time to push yourself out of your style comfort zone. Don a pair with coloured lenses or wraparound frames to claim your sartorial status. For classicists, oversized cat eyes and timeless rectangular silhouettes are always a hit, whether you’re shielding hungover eyes or people-watching by the pool. And if you’re in the market for brands with an eco-friendly mindset, sustainable designs made from recycled materials don’t miss a beat when it comes to blocking UV rays and looking good.
Vieux Eyewear
A father-son collaboration between Paul and Jack Surman, Vieux Eyewear takes inspiration from the one-of-a-kind nature of our oceans. The brand’s Noir collection sees four elevated styles in black acetate with 18-karat gold inlays adorning the arms. Each design is limited to 100 pieces – we’re eyeing off the La Cite silhouette.
Raie
Raie’s genderless collection is filled with minimalist, classic styles. The brand offers a find your fit feature to help you match your face shape to the perfect pair of sunnies. From cat eye to wrapped and rectangle, the handmade acetate styles are fitted with Category 3 UV400 lenses for high levels of sun protection. We think the Lakota in zodiac brown is ready for a moment in the sun this summer.
Bassike x Local Supply
This collaboration between two Australian sustainability heavyweights is filled with refined classics. The limited-run unisex collection is made using biodegradable acetate and each pair is fitted with Category 3 lenses to provide full protection. The 04 style in tortoiseshell with brown lenses is a timeless choice.
AM
Let AM Eyewear amp up your eyewear collection with its Italian acetate sunglasses. Lean into rectangular silhouettes with the Howie, Ollie and Bridget styles. The brand continues to evolve its sustainability measures, using Zeiss sustainable polyamide lenses in this collection. You can do your part too, giving your pre-loved AM frames a second life through the brand’s buy-back scheme. You’ll get $50 towards your next purchase and AM Eyewear will donate your old pair to the Lions Recycle for Sight program.
Halcyon
Referencing vintage shapes, Halcyon’s sunglasses are made in Australia from Italian acetate and come complete with Carl Zeiss lenses. There’s a timeless quality to styles like the Franc and the Pepe but the lime-green-lensed Lenny proves there’s room to be classic and still punctuate your summer outfits with personality. With 10 per cent of all profits donated to Headspace, an Australian non-profit organisation supporting youth mental health, this is a purchase that you can feel good about.
Le Specs x Afends
Sunnies stalwart Le Specs has teamed up with Byron Bay brand Afends for a limited-edition collection. Taking inspiration from masks and alter egos, the range reflects the idea of hidden personalities and the transformative power of self-expression. There’s notes of Y2K across the silhouettes, including speed dealer references and gradient mirrored lenses. Highlights include the Charade, a sleek cat eye that comes in tortoiseshell, black and a translucent pewter finish. There’s also the Persona and Pretense rounding out the angular offering.
Poppy Lissiman
Stand out from the crowd with Poppy Lissiman’s self-proclaimed left-of-centre styles. Always one step ahead of the curve, the West Australian-born designer has cemented her status as a sunglasses maven with a growing collection of early aughts-inspired styles. The names to know this season are the La Cerva, the Kenli and the Jimbob. From mirrored lenses and metallic finishes to neon brights and more pared-back pastels, expect to see your most fashionable friends sporting a pair of Poppy Lissiman sunglasses this summer.
Good Citizens
It took Nik Robinson and his sons (Harry, eight and Archie, six) 752 days and more than 2500 failed attempts to create the perfect pair of sunnies. The result? Good Citizens: an eyewear brand that offers 100 per cent recycled frames. Named after the Sydney suburbs where you can imagine spending the sunniest of days, the three modular styles – Clovelly, Newport and Palm Beach – are made without hinges or screws. This means they’re fully customisable and repairable. With the tagline "Untrash the planet", the brand proves that one single-use 600-millilitre bottle offers enough plastic to make one pair of glasses. So far, the team has recycled 96,032 bottles (and counting) across frames, cases and cleaning cloths. You know what they say: one person’s trash is another person’s new favourite pair of summer shades.
Szade
The team behind Melbourne-based Szade believes you need two types of sunglasses in your life: rave-ready styles and heavy tints for the morning after. Notable styles this season include Blair, Booth and Soho. On a mission to reduce waste and excess, the brand’s sunglasses are made from faulty, broken or unwanted frames, which were destined for landfill.
Lucy Folk
Fans of Lucy Folk will be familiar with its resort-inspired ready-to-wear, bespoke jewellery and general sun-seeker energy. And the eyewear range lives up to the hype. Handmade in Italy with 100 per cent UV protected lenses, each piece in the collection has its own personality. There’s the Draa with their broad square frame, the Tanit for a more ladylike cat-eye style and the Cartouche – the perfect accompaniment for long lunches and lazy summer days.
Isle of Eden
Designed in Auckland and handcrafted from “future-friendly materials”, Isle of Eden aims to counteract the sea of sameness. Both classic and trending silhouettes are made from bio and recycled acetates, and come stored in a recycled leather case. Sleek and chic, Emily is a consistent bestseller, while newly released styles like Blake and Olli are set to make their mark this summer. The New Zealand brand is also committed to going beyond just its manufacturing process to make a difference. From offering a trade-in and repairs service to partnering with the Love Your Coast program and Future Post initiative, the goal is to set a new standard for the industry when it comes to being kind.
This story was originally published December 20, 2022 and has since been updated.
*Additional reporting by Simone Richardson.
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