We came across this new brand at a trade event. They had put a pair of sunglasses in each press pack, so it would have been rude not to go and have a chat.

What we discovered is that Union Of Surf is based on the South Coast of the UK, and is a collective, drawn together by a love for the ocean, and a desire to change in the way products are created. Although the ethos of the brand is to make planet-positive products aimed at the surfing market, these glasses look great on us non-surfers too.

Re-use, re-purpose and re-cycling products is at their core, and their eyewear is crafted from eco-friendly materials, including discarded wooden offcuts, bioplastics or recycleable plastics where plastic is used, and have biodegradable lenses made using plant fibres.

The glasses come in a protective cardboard tube, and each has a unique case made by repurposing old wetsuits, preventing them from ending up in landfill.

There is also an option to buy a beautiful, more rigid, triangular cork case, that actually collapses flat when the glasses are being worn, making it easy to carry in a top shirt pocket, or won’t take up much room in a handbag.

Fistral Wooden Sunglasses

This is a classic frame shape that in my experience suits almost any face shape. It has a beautiful light tan coloured, walnut wood veneer finish and polarised lenses as standard. The lenses, made of cellulose fibres, are Cat3 UV400 to keep your eyes protected, and the polarised layer helps reduce glare. They also have an anti-scratch coating too.

The lightweight frame is constructed of laminated wood slices which you can actually see when you look at the edges, and it has springy hinges which make it so much easier to get on.

There are 3 colours of lenses to choose from - Polarised Black, Polarised Silver or Polarised Sky Blue.

We tested out the Polarised Silver and I have to say they worked brilliantly at reflecting the sharp midday sun during the recent spell of sunny weather.

The Fistra suited both our faces, which is unusual due to Damian having a narrow head shape and me a more rounded shape, but in the end I ended up nabbing them as my own, as the Pearl glasses suited Damian’s face even more.

Pearl Wooden Sunglasses

The Pearl has a more rounded shape, that I feel suits a narrower head shape. Again we got to try out the walnut wood veneer ones, but they also do the Pearl in a black wooden frame version, suitably called Black Pearl.