A Story of Vision

We are more than a sunglasses company. We are a collective of dreamers, artisans, and innovators dedicated to changing the way you see the world, and the way the world sees you.

Forged from Frustration, Built on Belief.

AuraShades was born in 2018 not in a boardroom, but from a shared sense of disillusionment. We looked at the eyewear market and saw a sea of sameness: mass-produced, uninspired frames with inflated price tags driven by licensing fees, not by quality or innovation. We saw a disconnect between the accessory and the individual. Sunglasses had become a disposable trend item rather than a cherished personal artifact. We believed it was time for a rebellion—a quiet, considered rebellion rooted in craftsmanship and authenticity.

Our founding principle was simple yet radical: to create exquisitely crafted, technologically advanced, and fairly priced eyewear that people would love for years, not just a season. We established a unique dual-headquarters model to capture the best of two worlds. Our design and brand identity are rooted in the forward-thinking, sun-drenched creative culture of Los Angeles, while our craftsmanship and material sourcing are anchored in the rich heritage of eyewear manufacturing in Northern Italy. This fusion allows us to create products that are at once culturally relevant and timelessly elegant. We are independent, which means we answer to no one but our customers. Every design, every material, every decision is made with one goal in mind: to create the best possible sunglasses, period.

Our Vision for 2025 and Beyond

Our vision extends far beyond the physical product. We aim to cultivate a new perspective on personal style, sustainability, and the very act of seeing.

We envision a world where eyewear is a primary tool for self-expression, as personal and considered as a work of art. It should be a seamless extension of one's identity, empowering confidence and clarity. Our goal is to move the industry away from fast fashion and towards "slow eyewear"—pieces designed with intention, crafted with integrity, and built to last a lifetime. We are pioneering this shift by focusing on three key pillars: Technological Supremacy, Conscious Luxury, and Empowered Individuality. For us, Technological Supremacy means relentless innovation in lens optics and material science. We don't just want to protect your eyes; we want to enhance your perception of the world, making colors richer, details sharper, and comfort absolute. We are investing heavily in R&D for adaptive lenses, augmented reality integration, and bio-integrated materials. Conscious Luxury is our commitment to proving that high-end design and environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Our vision is a fully circular business model, where every material we use is either recycled, bio-based, or infinitely recyclable, and where our operational footprint is not just neutral, but positive. Empowered Individuality means rejecting a one-size-fits-all approach. Through services like virtual try-on, personalized consultations, and custom lens options, we aim to provide a deeply personal shopping experience that celebrates the uniqueness of every customer. We see a future where AuraShades is not just a brand, but a platform for seeing and being seen, clearly and authentically.

Acknowledged for Excellence

Our commitment to design and innovation has not gone unnoticed. We are humbled and proud to be recognized by leading institutions in the worlds of design, technology, and sustainability.

Red Dot Design Award

Product Design, 2024

Awarded for "The Helios" model, the jury celebrated its "radical minimalism and exceptional ergonomic engineering." They highlighted the seamless construction from a single piece of titanium as a triumph of form and function, setting a new benchmark for lightweight luxury eyewear.

iF Design Award

User Experience (UX), 2025

This award recognized our integrated digital experience, specifically praising our hyper-realistic Virtual Try-On tool. The jury noted its "flawless execution and significant contribution to solving a key challenge in online retail," making the selection process more confident and personal.

Green Product Award

Sustainable Materials, 2025

Our frame collection crafted from 100% recycled marine polymer received this prestigious award. The honor acknowledged not only the innovative reuse of harmful ocean waste but also the high quality and design aesthetic achieved, proving that sustainable products can be superior products.

Our Guiding Principles

These four values are the bedrock of our company. They inform every decision, from the smallest design detail to our long-term strategic vision.

Uncompromising Quality

This is our north star. It means we never cut corners. We source materials from the best suppliers in the world, not the cheapest. We partner with optics labs that are at the forefront of lens technology. Our frames go through over 200 production steps, many by hand, and are subjected to quality control inspections that are borderline obsessive. For us, quality isn't just about durability; it's in the tactile feel of the polished acetate, the satisfying click of a German-engineered hinge, and the flawless clarity of the lens. It's a promise that your AuraShades are not just an accessory, but a piece of precision engineering built to last.

Radical Transparency

We believe you have the right to know what you're buying and who you're buying from. We openly share the origins of our materials, the locations of our workshops, and a detailed breakdown of our costs. Unlike legacy brands that obscure their supply chains and markups, we invite you in. Our annual Impact Report details our progress—and our shortcomings—in our sustainability efforts. This transparency builds trust and holds us accountable. It's our way of respecting our customers as intelligent partners in our journey, not just as consumers.

Conscious Design

Design at AuraShades is a holistic process. It's not just about how a frame looks, but about its entire lifecycle. It begins with asking: Can we make this beautiful *and* responsible? This leads us to prioritize sustainable materials like bio-acetate and recycled metals. It pushes us to design for longevity and repairability, not for obsolescence. It means considering the environmental impact of our packaging and logistics. Conscious design is the intricate dance of aesthetics, functionality, and ethics. It’s the belief that good design should, by definition, be good for the planet and its people.

Human-Centric Innovation

Technology should serve people, not the other way around. Every innovation we pursue is focused on solving a real-world problem or enhancing the user's experience. From our photochromic lenses that adapt to your environment, to our AR try-on tool that brings the store to you, to our ergonomic frames that eliminate pressure points—it's all about you. We obsess over comfort, fit, and optical clarity because these are the elements that tangibly improve your daily life. We innovate not for the sake of novelty, but for the pursuit of a more seamless, comfortable, and visually stunning interaction with the world.

The AuraShades Philosophy

Our philosophy is rooted in the concept of "Intentional Living." We believe that in a world of endless noise and distraction, the choices we make—what we consume, what we wear, how we spend our time—are the ultimate form of self-expression. We create products for the intentional individual: the person who chooses quality over quantity, substance over hype, and enduring style over fleeting trends. We believe an object's value is derived not from its logo, but from its story—the integrity of its materials, the skill of its maker, and the thoughtfulness of its design. Eyewear, in our view, sits at a unique intersection of science, art, and identity. It is a medical device that protects our most precious sense. It is a piece of sculpture that frames our face. It is a filter that can literally change our perception of reality. Therefore, it deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and intention. Our design philosophy reflects this, balancing classic silhouettes with subtle, forward-thinking details. We don't chase trends; we aim to create future classics. We believe true style is timeless and deeply personal, and our role is to provide the perfect tools for you to articulate your own.

A Modern Brand with a Rich Heritage

Though AuraShades is a brand for the future, we are deeply respectful of the past. Our soul lies in the heritage of Italian craftsmanship. The region of Cadore, nestled in the Dolomites, has been the global epicenter of high-end eyewear manufacturing for over a century. It is here that we partner with small, family-owned workshops where artisanal skills have been passed down through generations. These master craftspeople, who have worked with the world's most legendary luxury houses, bring a level of expertise and nuance that mass production simply cannot replicate.

We combine this old-world attention to detail with the most advanced modern technology. Our frames may be hand-polished, but they are designed using sophisticated 3D modeling and cut with precision lasers. We honor the heritage of our material partners as well. When we use acetate, it's from Mazzucchelli 1849, a company that has been perfecting its craft for over 170 years. When we use lenses, we partner with pioneers like Zeiss. This fusion of tradition and technology allows us to create products that possess both a tangible soul and a flawless, modern execution. It's a heritage not of our own age, but of the quality we've chosen to champion.

Our Roadmap to a Clearer Future

We are always looking forward. These are our public commitments and goals as we continue to grow and innovate.

2025: Carbon Positive Operations

Moving beyond carbon neutrality, our goal for 2025 is to become a carbon-positive company. This means we will invest in offset and carbon capture projects that remove more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than our entire supply chain and operations produce. This includes everything from material sourcing to employee commutes to the energy used by our web servers.

2026: Launch Full Circularity Program

We will launch "AuraCycle," a comprehensive take-back and recycling program. Customers will be able to return any AuraShades product at the end of its life. We will then either refurbish it for donation, or fully disassemble it, recycling every component into new raw materials for future products or other industries. This closes the loop and moves us toward a zero-waste model.

2027: Open First Physical Retail Experience

We will translate our digital brand into a physical space. Our first flagship store will be more than a shop; it will be a hub for our community, featuring an optics lab for on-site lens fitting, a style consultation studio, and a space for hosting workshops and events with artists and designers. It will be a physical manifestation of the AuraShades philosophy.

2028: 75% Next-Gen Materials

Our goal is for 75% of all materials used in our products to be from "next-generation" sources. This includes recycled metals and polymers, bio-acetates, and new materials currently in R&D, such as plastics synthesized from captured carbon. This represents a significant leap in reducing our reliance on virgin resources and pushing the industry forward.

The People Behind the Vision

AuraShades is the result of a collective passion. Meet some of the key members of our dedicated team.

Elara Vance

Founder & CEO

With a background in product design and a lifelong frustration with the eyewear industry, Elara founded AuraShades to build the company she wished existed. She guides the overall vision, ensuring every decision aligns with our core values of quality, transparency, and conscious design.

Marco Ricci

Head of Design

Based in our Milan studio, Marco is the aesthetic soul of AuraShades. Drawing inspiration from architecture, vintage automobiles, and sculpture, he blends Italian elegance with a modern, minimalist sensibility. His obsession with proportion and silhouette is evident in every frame we produce.

Dr. Kenji Tanaka

Head of Materials & Innovation

A materials scientist with a Ph.D. from MIT, Kenji leads our R&D efforts. He scours the globe for cutting-edge materials and technologies, from next-generation polymers to advanced lens coatings. He is the driving force behind our commitment to both performance and sustainability.

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