Sustainable eyewear for15 years anniversary

15 years of looking good, while doing good

At Monkeyglasses, it is our privilege to design and handcraft sustainable glasses. We sell them at super fair prices because our goal is to give everyone the option to do the right thing, also when it comes to acquiring material things.

Fair fashion

Mai-britt had a career in the clothing industry and saw how collections were replaced at an increasing pace. Morten worked in the eyewear industry, where he saw a similar development. Mai-britt asked: 'How can we, on the one hand, bring children into the world and, on the other hand, be part of a system that fills the globe with inequality and irresponsible consumption?' Before long, the questions had turned into research and a kitchen table covered in sketches and a strategy for eyewear with a sustainable DNA.

Glasses monkeys

Morten's warm and energetic personality, mixed with a strong knowledge of eyewear, had earned him the affectionate nickname "the glasses monkey" in the optical industry. That name matched Mai-britt's wish to have their new company support ‘Save the Orangutan’: In Borneo, the West's demand for cheap palm oil is costing the extinction of our closest relative in the wild, the orangutan. Donations now buy back rainforest and create protected areas for the endangered monkey.

Fifteen years on fast forward

The first pair of Monkeyglasses were sold in 2009, and with dedicated, hard work, the ambitious couple has radically changed the eyewear industry. What started at the kitchen table grew to a business in a rented basement, and today the beautiful Flagship Store in Nørrebro is filled with recycled furniture, inherited house plants, and the latest optician's equipment. 

Many of Mai-britt and Morten’s initiatives were called crazy and impossible 15 years ago, yet today they are adopted by many types of companies: 

Zero Waste production. Low carbon footprint. Safe and well-paid production. Plastic-free life cycle for the products. Recycled materials for packaging, case and cleaning cloth. Fixed low prices on optical eyewear. Collection of used glasses for donation in developing countries. Making new lenses for old frames, regardless of the brand. 

The list will undoubtedly continue for the next 15 years, thanks to conscious consumers who share Mr. and Mrs Monkeyglasses' approach: 

You can look good while doing good