By Karen Peattie

A SCOTTISH eyewear manufacturer has turned to a natural rubber substance invented in the 1850s to make sunglasses after struggling to source its usual raw material from northern Italy as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Banton Frameworks, based in Kilsyth and co-founded by young designers Jamie Bartlett and Lucy Ross in 2012, specialises in the production of handmade cellulose acetate spectacles and sunglasses frames. But due to recent Covid-19 restrictions, the firm’s acetate supply chain from Italy has been disrupted.

“We use acetate which is an organic polymer made from cellulose, one of the most naturally abundant compounds available,” Mr Bartlett explained. “However, with ongoing supply chain issues at the moment we started looking for other options and a friend who makes pens told us about ebonite, a very hard, semi-synthetic rubber made from natural latex sap.

“The sap is ethically harvested from Sri Lankan caoutchouc trees then mixed with sulphur and linseed oil.”

While ebonite is not new – it has been used to make bowling balls, fountain pens and bottle caps and is the invention of Nelson Goodyear of the famous tyre company – this is the first time that the material has been used to make eyewear, according to Mr Bartlett. “We’ve managed to source it from a supplier in Germany who told us we’re making the world’s only natural rubber sunglasses.

“It looks like luxurious ebony hardwood and is a beautiful alternative to acetate with a swirling, organic pattern which means every frame is unique.”

Mr Bartlett and Ms Ross, who met at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), are BA Honours graduates in international product design with skills including 3D modelling, prototyping and manufacturing processes. “Lucy was looking at spectacle frame design for her final-year project and that was what sparked our business idea,” said Mr Bartlett.

“We were able to take learnings from staff at the GCU optical clinic which proved invaluable as we set up our workshop to develop the business.”

Scotland’s only manufacturer of spectacle frames, Banton Frameworks takes its name from Banton Loch, located next to the firm’s workshop. Its focus is on ethical, contemporary eyewear that stands out in an overcrowded mass-produced marketplace. “There are other manufacturers in the UK but most of the mid- to high-quality frames come from Europe while the low-cost product mainly comes from China,” Mr Bartlett explained.

“A lot of the low-cost frames are classed as ‘disposable’ in that when you want new glasses it’s often cheaper to buy new frames rather than reuse your existing ones,” he said. “We would hope that when you buy spectacles from us you will keep those frames for a long time, thanks to their quality and classic design.”

Selling frames online and through some independent optician outlets, and working with a lens partner in Amersham, Banton Frameworks has ambitions to move to bigger premises as the company grows. “Marketing is mainly online and via word of mouth – our customers are our brand ambassadors,” said Mr Bartlett. “That said, I think there’s a real appetite for quality, Scottish brands just now – people want something that has a story behind it.

“Demand for our frames is growing and with an estimated average of 15 million adult spectacle wearers in the UK buying a new pair of glasses every year we feel confident that the Benton Frameworks brand will thrive.”

The new sunglasses, which will retail at £225 and launch at the end of this month, are just one “lockdown” project that Mr Bartlett and Ms Ross are pursuing. “We’re exploring other avenues too as obviously we don’t know when our usual supply chain will return to normal,” he said.