I got sent a press release regarding Shauns Shades, a cool sunglasses company with a buy-one-give-one-back business model. I was getting ready to deliver the bad news–that I can’t blog about it because we really only cover products that are available locally–when I received another email that the line was picked up by two boutiques we love: Piermarini and Original Octane. The eyewear collection contains more than 40 different styles (like aviator, oversized rectangle, etc.) in a variety of different colors priced from $150 to $295. You can try them all on in the virtual mirror, too. (See right.) The best part is in the purchase. For every pair of sunglasses bought, a pair of eyeglasses, along with an eye exam, is donated to a someone in need in a developing country. It’s not the first line of its kind (Warby Parker eyewear does the buy-a-pair-give-a-pair gig, too), but I’m happy to see more businesses taking a philanthropic approach. And, of course, I’m thrilled to have one more reason to visit Piermarini and Original Octane.
