
Homes Eyewear – Sunglasses Made in Detroit
Achille Bianchi is a charismatic, goal-determined, 28-year-old, die-hard Detroiter.
A little less than a year ago, Achille came up with an awesome concept that would allow the wood from vacated homes to one day serve a purpose again. Since then Bianchi has created a buzz around the Detroit area and the interwebs with his beautifully- designed wood sunglasses. The project, titled “Homes,” takes the wood from many of Detroit’s abandoned homes and transforms it into a fashionable accessory.
The glasses, handmade in Eastern Market’s “fab lab/hackerspace” OmniCorp Detroit, require a very thorough 60-step process from start to finish. Bianchi said he now has the process down to about two hours! Currently, Bianchi’s hands are the only ones on the project, with design, laser cutting, assembling and finishing all done in house! Through an amazing partnership with Reclaim Detroit, Bianchi is able to obtain the wood from various deserted homes. He etches the home address of the wood into the inner arm of each new pair of sunglasses.
The reclaimed frames retail at $188, but you can also get frames made from new wood for quite a bit less. Currently, Bianchi is not selling prescription lenses, but that may change in the future. For more information or to order yourself a pair, please visit HomesEyewear.com.
Thanks for this information! I love this trend of wooden sunglasses. Am really considering to buy a pair of this new designer. I also found a great collection on http://www.fitsunglasses.com, which also allows for virtual fitting, really useful!
Do them with the Detroit skyline burned in the arms and they would be even cooler.