You seemingly don’t mediate too mighty about your eyeglasses—until they either beginning to injure after you’ve stale all of them day, they scoot down in your face if you’re bending over to tie your sneakers, otherwise you unintentionally sit on, step on, or in every other case inadvertently crush them. Possibly you’ve long gone with a plastic physique since you figured that was the sturdier selection, otherwise you’re convinced the thick physique is on the total your jam. (Aspect existing: It’s seemingly no longer.)
But appropriate news: There is one model for which technology meets type in a type that can slay your face—and your wallet—chuffed. Flexon Eyewear uses extremely developed technology (no lie—it comes from the U.S. defense drive) that’s gargantuan-tough, featherlight, and extremely flexible. The appropriate will seemingly be basically the most snug, sturdy, and orderly eyewear you’ll ever gather.
We spoke with Megan Greene, director of variety and product constructing at Marchon Eyewear, the father or mother firm of Flexon, about what makes these frames so special.
1. Their roots are extremely technical.
“Flexon was learned in 1961 by scientists on the U.S. Naval Ordnance Laboratory who had been setting up titanium-primarily based alloys to be used in missile heat shields,” explains Greene. The researchers learned that even tiny bends or dents within the alloy would go after they had been heated up. “They hit the alloy with a hammer to study its hardness, then left the dented sample on a windowsill—and hours later learned the dents had removed themselves after being exposed to the noonday solar,” she says.
Flash-ahead 20 years, when different researchers began to explore how this alloy will seemingly be outdated in optical frames. “At the time, it was almost very no longer at risk of slay frames out of the realm fabric, because no person would possibly perchance perchance well well weld it, plate it, or process it,” notes Greene. But in the end in 1988, after years of constructing in each the U.S. and Japan, Marchon launched the principle sequence of Flexon optical frames that contains this “memory steel,” a order alloy of titanium. The sequence has persevered to adapt over the bigger than three decades since.
2. They’ll bend, but they won’t wreck.
The amazing thing about this memory steel is appropriate how mighty torque the frames need to purchase. Designers at Flexon set apart the realm fabric in each the bridge and the temples, so you would possibly perchance perchance well well flex, bend, or twist them any which formula and they also’ll peaceable return to their fashioned shape.
“This enviornment fabric is fatigue-resistant, so it won’t kink and can resist breakage,” provides Greene—and as somebody knows successfully who has ever sat or stepped on their frames, or had them outdated as a chunk toy by their tot, this is in a position to be well-known. (Inspect this cool video of the technology in action.) “Same outdated steel frames will wreck within the occasion that they’re bent ; Flexon frames will seemingly be bent hundreds of instances without breaking.”
3. They’re gargantuan-snug.
Flexon’s weird combination of properties makes it ideal for optical frames, because it’s no longer most effective flexible but additionally 25 p.c lighter than broken-down metals, while additionally proof in opposition to corrosion, Greene choices out. Thicker plastic frames, on the different hand, can in actuality feel heavy, significantly after hours of trouble. Plus, Flexon frames require most effective a minimal quantity of adjustment to your face, and their nostril pads and cease pieces will seemingly be further stunning-tuned so they won’t scoot down your nostril or squeeze your temples.
4. They scrutinize beautiful darn cool.
You most effective have one face, so useless to hiss it’s best to need to scrutinize appropriate within the frames you expend. “We now have developed no longer most effective the sort we use the memory steel, but additionally have pushed ourselves to retain with the ever-evolving traits in eyewear,” says Greene. The emblem’s designers scrutinize for inspiration in a differ of places, from watches and stunning jewellery to architecture, furniture, and artwork. All of which implies that on this case no longer less than, technical doesn’t equal dreary: Flexon’s physique sequence is stuffed with color, texture, and silhouettes that match faces of any dimension or shape. “We proceed to work on ideas that evolve with our shoppers and their need for eyewear that is eternal, but additionally makes them scrutinize and in actuality feel appropriate,” says Greene.
5. They’re appropriate for the planet.
It’s necessary to indisputably feel appropriate within the eyeglasses we expend, nonetheless it’s additionally necessary to indisputably feel appropriate about any model we’re supporting—and that it’s demonstrated that it cares in regards to the arena round us. “Marchon Eyewear has a proud history of dedication to sustainability and company accountability initiatives through our long-interval of time world program Eyes on The following day, which guides us in responsibly guaranteeing that our eyewear and our processes can have a diminished influence within the arena,” says Greene. This entails setting up lenses which would possibly perchance perchance well well be derived from castor oil (a renewable biomass) moderately than aged oil-primarily based plastics, and striking off the use of PVC in all of its frames. “And we’re engaged on incorporating even extra sustainable materials and variety necessary choices into Flexon frames and future collections.”
Even supposing Flexon frames are sturdy, they plan no longer appear to be indestructible. Flexon frames must not be twisted bigger than 90° and Flexon temples must not be twisted bigger than as soon as round the finger.
