Words: Josh Lee
In association with:
When the high heat of summer finally hits the landscape, the overall mood will, without doubt, be an ebullient one – lightweight linens waving in the breeze, the uninhibited feel of hitting the road with the rooftop off, cycling on endless stretches of sun-baked hillside paths. And, being in the open-air, you’ll need to change up your gear accordingly, and few fine-weather items are as integral to the season as your sunglasses.
But picking out shades can be a tricky engagement, as there are several factors to consider: face shape, overall style, build, and feel. Yet, to nix the issue, one failsafe name we’ve been leaning towards lately is SunGod, the celebrated British performance-eyewear label.
Founded in 2013 as a challenger brand to the already-established enterprises, and since blossoming into a globally renowned name, SunGod has been anchored around a simple mission throughout its decade-long existence – to ‘See Better’ – a spirit that has not only pushed the company to create premium hard-wearing, eye-drawing, streamlined lenses and frames, but one that has also meant the brand is using business as an act of good. Driven by the idea of forcing positive change across the eyewear industry and beyond, the company revolves around putting equal emphasis on people, planet and profit through a community-built mindset – which is made up of partners, charities, athletes and ambassadors – and sustainable, eco-friendly measures, such as carbon-neutral practices which has facilitated its certified B Corp™ status.
As a result, SunGod’s singular eyewear is sported by the worlds’s most elite athletes and teams – from racing driver Lando Norris to World Tour cycling team INEOS Grenadiers – and for its latest release, the venture has collaborated with McLaren to develop a limited-edition set of sunglasses – the SunGod x McLaren F1 Team Monaco Triple Crown Zephyrs™– to celebrate the F1 team’s historic Triple Crown victory, the most esteemed honour in motorsport, which is accomplished by gaining blue ribbons at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indy 500 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“We are proud to have achieved motorsport’s prestigious Triple Crown as a constructor. In our 60th year, we are shining a light on the legacy of the team that Bruce McLaren built and role this plays in fuelling our ambitions for the future of the team,” says Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing.
To celebrate this gold-standard victory, and to mark the coming together of these two pioneering British brands that are led by innovation and performance, defined by design and fuelled by the notion of perpetual improvement, the final product is, too, shaped around premium quality whereby each feature has been precision-engineered.
Perhaps most prominent are the industry-leading Gold 8KO® lenses, which are noted for their 2mm nylon that’s not only clearer than the surface of the human eye, but also lighter and more durable than polycarbonate, the common material of choice for eyewear companies. Triple-layered, scratch-resistant coating, 100% UV protection, and anti-fog technology simply round-off the benefits in this department.
“8KO® has been years in the making… We’ve achieved our aim of creating a lens technology that’s clearer, lighter and stronger than what was on the market already; in simple terms, it’s just better,” states Ed Watkiss, Head of Product at SunGod.
Harnessing these innovative lenses are the matte-black Adventureproof® TR90 frames, which feel featherweight in hand and when placed on the face, guaranteeing all-day comfort; are ultra-flexible, which makes for an easy wear, when either off-duty or engaging in high-octane activities; and feature a 100% recycled-material construction, a feature that simply dials up the appeal.
Moreover, the Pop-Lock™ screwless hinge technology guarantees security, meanwhile the pared-down silhouette and unembellished design makes the sunglasses suitable for oval-, heart-, round- and square-shaped faces, taking away the ardour and inconvenience that comes with constantly trying on different models to figure out which style or brand best suits your look.
For carting around your new accessories from location to location this summer, the 100% microfibre pouch – made from recycled plastic bottles and intended for storage and cleaning – with which it comes ensures maximum protection; brushed-gold icons on the side are a paean to McLaren; and, finishing it all off is the ‘Triple Crown’ engraving on the left-eye lens – a subtle nod to McLaren’s landmark feat. By combining performance with high-specs and sleek appearances, this is an iconic design for an iconic achievement.
Want more seasonal staples? These are the 10 summer-approved essentials to pack in your beach bag…
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