When I received my pair of Hidesign’s Natural Wood sunglasses, I was immediately taken by its impressive packaging, impeccable finish on the wood, and how flattering and unique it looked. Sure it’s a little heavier than the numerous weightless frames in the market today, but not enough to bother the wearer.

Since the wood has a mix of coarse and smooth grains, the texture looks rich and fantastic. There’s nothing glossy or plastic, making this pair classy, understated and yet one that stands out in a crowd. Currently available in two styles – the Masai round frames and Congo Wayfarers – they are pairs that suit pretty much all face types and are hard to go wrong with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Priced from INR 5,595 onwards, the range is available at select Hidesign stores in India and on www.hidesign.com.

If you still need convincing, Dilip Kapur, Founder and Chairperson of Hidesign, answers some FAQs.

Take us through the process of crafting this range.

Hidesign naturals are made in two types of wood – Rosewood and Ebony. The sunglasses are carefully crafted. The dark Ebony wood gives a mysterious and dark look with its rich dark shade, while the Rosewood gives a more natural look with darker veining.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First the wood is sliced into veneer (thin slivers of wood), and each layer is polished and glued together. The frame shape is engraved into these layered wood blocks, to create the wooden frame. The cut blocks are polished once again and dried using layer wood-lamination technology. All the other components of the sunglasses are assembled together and then the brand logo is etched using laser on the sunglasses’ temples. The lenses are finally fixed into the frame to complete the pair.

Where is the wood sourced from?

Ebony is sourced from Indonesia and Rosewood is sourced from Brazil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you plan to introduce more styles in this range?

Hidesign has received great response for the natural wooden sunglasses and the brand would love to introduce more trendy and classic styles in future. We’ve also seen high footfalls with a mix of younger and older audiences in stores and on our e-commerce website. We plan to expand the range by introducing cat-eye and aviator styles. We are also working on metal + wood combination styles that are more sleek and fashionable.  

How do you ensure that the wood doesn’t make the frames heavy?

Wood is cut into veneer (very thin slices that are less than 3 mm) and the moisture content of these veneers is removed completely – i.e. they are dried using wood-lamination technology. These veneers are then cooled down over nearly 30 days. This makes the wood blocks used to make the sunglasses much lighter than the original wood.