The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a dire warning about the state of pollution, global warming and its effects on the planet. They have given humanity just 12 years to make a real effort in reducing carbon emissions and becoming more environmentally-friendly. Any later, and Earth could undergo irreversible changes that would be catastrophic.
There are numerous changes that ordinary people can make to their daily lives to minimise their impact on the environment. It’s up to every person to make the necessary changes, so here are a few tips to help you make a start.
Here are 10 ways to reduce your carbon footprint and waste output.
]]>There are numerous changes that ordinary people can make to their daily lives to minimise their impact on the environment. It’s up to every person to make the necessary changes, so here are a few tips to help you make a start.
Here are 10 ways to reduce your carbon footprint and waste output.
1. Recycle more
Make a pledge to recycle your waste and take advantage of your local recycling facilities. If your municipality does not offer collection of recycling, find out where the nearest facility or drop-off point is. Make an effort to separate your plastic, paper, metal and glass waste in your home. Find ways to reuse or upcycle waste items that cannot be recycled. Also, ask yourself whether you really need to buy these non-recyclable products again in the future.
2. Cut out plastic
The UN estimates that by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than fish. Our consumption of plastic products and plastic packaging is unsustainable. Choose to use paper shopping bags, metal straws and plastic alternatives where possible. Shop at plastic-free stores and make a concerted effort to reduce your reliance on plastic. Take part in local beach and park clean-ups. Pick up any litter you see in your daily life, especially the small waste items.
3. Minimise food waste
There are a number of ways to reduce food waste. Food waste that gets put in a bin often ends up in a landfill and then decomposes, producing large volumes of methane in the process. Methane is a greenhouse gas. Place organic food scraps in a compost bucket and use it to feed your garden. Try to finish your meals at restaurants and takeaways. Store food correctly by placing it in a cool, dry cupboard or in the fridge. Buy only what you need; doing a weekly meal prep will help you shop for only the food you need.
4. Save water
Many South Africans are aware of the scarcity of water - residents in every province have battled with water shortages at some stage in recent years. Saving water is critical for South Africans, not only when there is a drought but every single day. Only flush the toilet when necessary. Reduce your shower time to two minutes. Install water-saving taps in the kitchen and bathroom. Collect water from your shower or bath and reuse it to flush your toilets and wash your car.
5. Use eco-friendly products
Start using eco-friendly cleaning products such as shampoos, detergents and dishwashing liquids. Opt for low-phosphate products as these are better for water systems, rivers and the ocean. Phosphates stimulate the growth of algae and reduce oxygen levels in the water, which is harmful to fish and other water-based organisms. Many local brands and supermarkets have started to introduce eco-friendly cleaning products to the market, so they are quite easy to find in South Africa.
6. Fertilise your garden
Take care of your garden, especially during the winter. Use organic waste and vegetable offcuts from your kitchen to start a compost. Use this compost to feed your plants. Compost is an amazing natural fertiliser for plants, lawns and trees. Alternatively, you can use conventional fertilisers to keep your soil full of nutrients. Look after your garden as plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce the effects of global warming.
7. Grow vegetables and herbs
Building on from the previous point, start to plant more in your garden. Do some research on local plant species and hardy flora that do not require too much water. These are the best options when planting seeds. Start a vegetable garden and plant your own tomatoes, carrots, spinach, lettuce and beans. Grow your own herbs too. These steps will save you money in the long run as you won’t have to go to the shops as often to buy vegetables and herbs.
8. Reduce electricity usage
Make an effort to minimise your electricity usage. Switch off lights when not in that room. Turn off the television when you’re not watching and unplug your cellphone charger when not in use. Turn load shedding into an advantage by using it as an opportunity for a romantic candle-lit dinner. Buy a gas heater rather than an oil heater or an electric bar heater. Avoid boiling a full kettle if you’re only having one cup of tea or coffee - instead, fill the kettle with just the right amount of water as needed.
9. Buy local
“By burning heavy fuel oil, just 15 of the biggest ships emit more of the noxious oxides of nitrogen and sulphur than all the world's cars put together.” The Economist This is a scary stat and one that should have us all buying locally made products and produce whenever possible.
Shop at the closest store to your house, or at a convenient supermarket on the way home. Visit your local markets on the weekend and support your local grocers and farmers. The quality of the produce at these markets is top-notch. Buy in bulk so that you don’t need to shop as often, but only buy what you will consume (see point 3). Buying at local markets is also a great way to avoid unnecessary plastic packaging.
10. Use public transport and carpool
Most major cities in offer some form of public transport system. In South Africa Gauteng has the Gautrain and its buses and Cape Town has Metrorail and MyCiTi buses. Try to make use of these public transport systems as much as possible. This will reduce the number of vehicles on the road, easing traffic congestion and reducing carbon emissions. If you really don’t want to use public transport, try carpooling with friends and colleagues instead.
These 10 changes are relatively simple to make and will reduce your carbon footprint and waste output. Play your part in minimising your impact on the environment as soon as you can.
12 years is such a short amount of time to reverse the effects of global warming so every citizen needs to make a change.
]]>We are proud to announce that Ballo is a Certified B Corporation.
Basically this means that we are doing our best to take care of the planet and the people who work for & interact with our brand and we can prove it.
]]>Basically this means that we are doing our best to take care of the planet and the people who work for & interact with our brand and we can prove it.
The process of applying to be a B-Corp involves a deep dive into every area of business- Governance, Workers, Community, Environment and Customers.
To learn more about BCorps and click here.
]]>They do incredible work in local communities tutoring and teaching kids to surf. Alistair, Ballo creative Director, recently held a offcuts workshop at SurfPop where he made clothing, eye masks and shoes with Ballo sunglass offcuts combined with fabric offcuts from the Sewing Cafe.
We had lots of fun. See pictures below:
http://www.onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?m=65722&i=752781&p=108&ver=html5
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10% of the revenue from the sale of these frames will be donated to the Surfpop Foundation. Surfpop focuses on education, nutrition and surfing as they give children from South African townships the best chance at living life to the fullest: active, healthy and in touch with nature. This way Surfpop also gives them the best platform to access sustainable employment after school, thus truly lifting themselves out of poverty and positively impacting their family and community.
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We are making a big move towards cork this year. Here’s why…
Cork is a sustainable resource, both renewable and biodegradable. The cork oak tree is unique in that its thick bark can be stripped off every decade to extract the cork without damaging the trees.
]]>We are making a big move towards cork this year. Here’s why…
Cork is a sustainable resource, both renewable and biodegradable. The cork oak tree is unique in that its thick bark can be stripped off every decade to extract the cork without damaging the trees.
The cork we use for our eyewear is offcuts from wine cork production and is grown in Portugal. Other benefits of cork? Cork is resilient, lightweight, natural, breathable material that is hypoallergenic and has a high friction resistance. It’s also 100% renewable, natural and vegan. And it floats.
We also love just working with it and wearing it.
Below: Nomfundo wearing Cork Cosmo
]]>This will see us contributing 1% of sales to 1% for the Planet. These are then pooled with other members contributions and distributed to causes and NGOs that are beneficiaries of the network.
1% for the planet has an incredible list of causes it supports and we can influence this by suggesting nonprofits to be added to the registry. Examples of existing causes are: Protect the West Coast, Ocean Hub Africa, Sea Change Trust, Endangered Wildlife Trust and African Pangolin Working Group. As our valued supporters, we'd love to know what causes or NGO's you'd like us to put forward?
We salute the strong list of businesses that care we are joining. Existing memebers include: Patagonia, Yetti, The Surfers Journal, Honest Tea, Klean Kanteen and many more…
Businesses and people that do good are the only future for this planet 🙌🏽 we hope you agree 😎
Siyabonga and Luyolo are heros. They are activists who have dedicated their lives to protecting South Africa's women and are a true inspiration.
Everyday Siyabonga and Luyolo can be seen on the streets of Langa running soup kitchens, delivering free sanitary pads to women in need and acting to...
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Men of example: Langa for men
Pictured above L to R: Siyabonga and Luyolo are heros. They are activists who have dedicated their lives to protecting South Africa's women and are a true inspiration. Everyday Siyabonga and Luyolo can be seen on the streets of Langa running soup kitchens, delivering free sanitary pads to women in need and acting to eradicate femicide in South Africa. Last year in South Africa 53 295 crimes of a sexual nature were reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS crime Report). South Africa is the most dangerous place to be a woman on the planet. We believe in what they are doing and are trying to support them in any way we can. |
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We pride ourself on our ingenuity, product design and development.
- made by hand in Cape Town, South Africa
- using sustainable materials like: cork, wood offcuts, advertising billboard, fabric offcuts, organic fabrics and hemp
Product offering includes:
Custom branded Sunglasses, Custom branded coasters, Custom branded key rings, Custom branded place mats, Custom branded hemp tote bags
]]>We offer a wide range of sustainable (environmentally friendly) corporate gifts:
- all designed and made by hand in Cape Town, South Africa
- using sustainable materials like:
cork, wood offcuts, advertising billboard, fabric offcuts, organic fabrics and hemp.
Product offering includes:
Custom branded Sunglasses
Custom branded coasters
Custom branded key rings
Custom branded place mats
Custom branded hemp tote bags
Custom branded laptop stands
Custom branded hemp caps
Custom branded hemp tshirts
...and pretty much anything else you can think of. We pride ourself on our ingenuity, product design and development.
Please contact us for more details and quotes:
email. ballo@ballo.co.za
phone. +27 79 394 6572
A short clip showing what we do and how we do it... filmed at the Ballo workshop in Woodstock, Cape Town by Howling Media
]]>New Ballo CR39 UV 420 lens blocks 400-420nm of High Energy Visible (HEV) or "Blue" light in addition to UV-A and UV-B.
Blue light Background
Short-wavelength, high energy blue light scatters more easily than other light, which means that one cannot easily focus upon it. If you're looking at a computer screen, smartphone or other digital device that emits blue light, this unfocused visual light reduces contrast. This can result in the user straining his/her eyes.
Blue light is not all bad - in fact the human body needs it to regulate mood and aid in memory. However, the regularity of use and proximity of digital devices to the eye can result in too much exposure. Exposure to blue light at night, especially via digital devices, can result in (amongst other things) disturbed sleeping patterns.
Blue Light Radiation Sources
- The Sun
- Exposure and brightness outdoors (even on overcast days)
- Digital Devices including: Smartphones, tablets, computer screens
- Lighting
- LED & CFLs
Who Can Benefit
The shorter wavelength light of 400-420 nm, is more harmful for younger individuals under 20 years old, who spend a lot of time outside in sunlight, because their eye lenses are very transparent.
Individuals who spend a lot of time in front of digital devices can also benefit fit UV & HEV Light protection. Blocking UV and High Energy Visible (HEV) light is critical for protecting eyes against cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a medical condition where the macula in the retina degenerates due to aging.
Technology
Standardized laboratory experiments show that neuronal retinal cells after exposure to short wavelength light of 411 nm begins to die from higher stress than after exposure to 470 nm light.
Clear Light Benefits
We are still exposed to 40-75% of Ultraviolet rays on cloudy days and 20-30% on rainy days. Clear lenses can be worn under all weather. You can wear clear lenses under all weather and always protect yourself from harmful light. The lenses do not affect the way we see natural colours thus the eyewear with UV420 is suitable of all occasions. Unlike other lenses that are significantly yellow, these are are slightly blue/grey.
Our super light, super durable Owl, cork and recycled canvas frame with Blue Light blocker lenses pictured below >
]]>Time is a wily weasel- I’ve spent most my life looking for it or loosing it all together. Never seem to find enough hours in the day to get the to-do list ticked. Chatting to friends and fellow entrepreneurs I realised that time is a cruel master to many...
...people often fall back on procrastination as the culprit that allows the hours to slip through the sieve, there was a possible solution that we arrived at. A perspective change....
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In the current lockdown, time seems to be especially illusive- slowing down and speeding up with no rhyme or reason. Days melt together like hot butter blocks, but weeks feel like years.
Last year I was lucky enough to be a guest participant in an entrepreneurial workshop where, after every person there mentioned time or the lack there-of as one of their 3 major challenges, this subject was explored. While people often fall back on procrastination as the culprit that allows the hours to slip through the sieve, there was a possible solution that we arrived at. A perspective change.
Perspective is a gift. Somewhere on my journey I learned that I choose my perspective and can choose to change it. This has been one of the most incredible lessons that has allowed me to feel “a part of” rather than “apart from” the community around me. This has allowed me to wear life like a loose garment, rather than being restricted by my own expectations of myself and the world.
The solution to my time problem is merely a change of perspective. I am now time’s master. I choose how I spend my time. I am ruthlessly efficient in the hours I choose to work. And meeting a friend in a coffee shop is now “choice to connect” rather than procrastination.
No longer a slave to time I now have the ability to pack it in or stretch it out like pizza dough. Mmm Pizza… Choose to enjoy your time by yourself, with a friend, with a partner or with family. It is all a gift. It is all a mystery. Revel in it.
Image and text: Alistair Barnes
]]>We are working with Cape Town CBD Community Action Network (CAN). They are helping us distribute 1 for 1 mask donations.
They are also doing an incredible project getting the most vulnerable people in Khayelitsha fed.
You can feed 1 person for 1 month with a R50 donation!
CBD CAN has teamed up with the Khayelitsha CAN has worked with local community leaders to identify the 200 of the most vulnerable families in the informal settlements Azania, Qandu-Qandu, Island and Site B-Ward 90. Donate R50 to feed a person for month. 100% of the proceeds will go directly the Khayelitsha CAN who is working directly with a wholesaler.
When I was at university Blogs were big and the first (and pretty much only) blog I discovered that I liked was Design-Milk.com. It was a fresh source for all things design from Solar powered Spaceships...
]]>Recently I flew to New York city to show my products at NYNOW trade show. A massive show with thousands of brands and businesses trying to attract orders. I wrote some orders and had some fun. On the third day of the show when we were about to close and I was about to fall asleep someone came up to me and asked if I was bored. I said, “yes, incredibly bored”. He said, “well why don’t you show me your products”. We had a fun chat and laughed about the sad state of design when designers are selling curated waste to each other.
Then he said that he was the CEO of Design Milk and asked if I’d like to sell my products on their platform.
I said yes and said we'd plant a tree for every pair sold on through Design Milk. Then I flew home, pledged to plant 10 trees for my flight there and 10 trees for my flight back with Greenpop.
]]>Global warming is a hot topic. Things are starting to change, but corporate greed is still crippling our world one megaton of CO2 at a time.
Fortunately, not every business puts profit before the planet. Ballo has seen things differently since launching in 2013. The fashion startup uses offcuts and upcycled material to make unisex eyewear and slow clothing.
We caught up with Ballo’s laid back owner Alistair Barnes to chat about the balance between bottom line and being green.
Ballo operates in a circular economy, eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. What are the specifics when talking about an eyewear company?
Our material is recycled, upcycled or intercepted before it goes to waste. Then we try to make our own waste and offcuts into other products. Keyrings, card stands, hanging pots, stuff like that.
The stuff we absolutely can’t repurpose or recycle is sent to a landfill, which is the absolute last resort. To make up for that, we plant a tree for every pair of sunglasses we sell.
Ballo means I dance in Italian. Would it be fair to say that the business is in rhythm and harmony with the planet, doing a dance of sustainability?
Ya that’s nice. We try to flow with the universe, if you can put it that way. You’re learning things all the time as new info becomes available that we can incorporate into the business. It’s never perfect but we’re always trying to be better.
How did Ballo start?
Years ago, I was freelancing as a designer. A mate sent me an article about these cool wooden sunglasses. An American brand with a strong sustainability angle. They looked amazing so I reached out and started importing them.
Then I saw these dudes on Shark Tank. They were explaining how these “local and sustainable” glasses were imported from China super cheaply before being shipped all over the world. I couldn’t do that anymore so I looked into doing it locally and authentically. I found an engineer with proper experience, sourced some wood and we started making the sunglasses I thought I was buying in the first place.
When did you decide that the environment was important enough to base an entire business around?
My dad’s from the US, so when I was young we’d go to Washington. It gets cold there and my dad got us these cool fleece jerseys. He said they were made from recycled plastic bottles, it blew my mind. I was only a kid but I remember thinking, how cool is that?!
The seed was definitely planted back then. I later learned that the brand was Patagonia. That was all the proof I needed that this stuff was possible.
To what extent does sustainability extend into your personal life? What practical things can people do daily to be kinder to the planet?
You have real power in terms of what you buy. Buy local, vintage and second hand where you can. Basically the shorter the distance it takes something to get from where they made it to you, the better. I try to live that as much as possible.
You put the planet before profit, which is really cool. But a business has to be profitable in order to employ people. How do you manage Ballo’s sustainability versus its bottom line?
That’s the challenge. It’s been difficult for the last couple of years. Especially hyper-locally. The drought in Cape Town affected our biggest market, tourists.
Business-wise that was a major stress because when we started, we were growing 300/400% year on year. Then we hit a wall and started running at a loss. Right now we just want to stay afloat, keep our employees employed, keep the lights on and become profitable again.
We’ve looked at exporting, but I don’t want to ship Ballo all over the world and contribute to things I don’t stand for. But do I have more responsibility to the planet or my employees?
Capitalism is obsessed with infinite growth, but how can there be infinite growth in a world with finite resources? It can’t. It’ll break and it’s breaking right now. We just do the best we can and try to have a bit of fun along the way.
How do you go about designing a pair of stylish unisex shades?
A lot of it’s just checking out what people are wearing and seeing how we can put our own spin on it. Nature is a big source of inspiration for us as well. We’ve got a pair called the Olive, which is literally inspired by the shape of an olive.
We had one called the E-Type, after the classic Jaguar. I pulled up to my workshop and saw the car parked across the road. Long bonnet, clean lines, those headlights. It looked so good. You have to operate within certain constraints when you’re working with faces, but you can get inspiration from anywhere.
We also prototype really fast. I can design something on the computer and have a prototype within an hour. Experimenting leads to uncharted territory.
When discussing making glasses by hand versus by machine, what kind of process are we talking about?
Most companies are using high tech, automated laser cutters. Ours are cast iron German machines from the 60s. Making it by hand gives someone skills and a job, and it means there’s no two Ballo sunglasses exactly alike.
When I’m showing someone the sunglasses, they’ll find their style and I’ll pull out a few different options of that style. When each pair has slight variations, there’s always one that fits perfectly.
You work with local designers. How do you figure out who to work with, and what do they bring to the process?
We get most of our fabric offcuts from a place in Obz called Black Chillie Style. They sell amazing suits and dresses made from African printed fabrics. We’ve got a great relationship; they send the offcuts over and we give them a pair of sunglasses. So it’s not local designers in the typical sense, but there’s definitely collaboration with local businesses and creatives.
What motivated the expansion into making clothes? And, more specifically, slow clothing?
Ballo was a big supporter of the Eco Film Fest that used to happen in Cape Town. There were documentaries from all over the world and I learnt a lot about fast fashion. A R50 t-shirt is cheap for you but it costs the planet so much. We wanted to give people another option.
We made most of our garments from hemp at first. Then we found a locally grown and spun cotton supplier, which is a big win.
We’d like to use more hemp but it’s really expensive. It used to be the most prolific fabric in the world, but a big part of the USA’s war on drugs was to push cotton and its profitability. So they made the entire marijuana plant illegal, even though hemp has nothing to do with cannabis.
Literally, the Afrikaans and Dutch word ‘hemp’ comes from the plant, the word ‘canvas’ is derived from cannabis. But the entire western world followed America. So we lost a lot of ground and we’re nowhere near where we should be in terms of how we use hemp in everyday life.
What have the biggest challenges been in starting, running and growing Ballo? Any particularly difficult hurdles?
I don’t really want to grow. Not in a normal sense anyway. I want Ballo to improve its employees’ quality of life and spread a message that might help save the world.
Ballo isn’t Patagonia, but we’re showing that a company can be run this way. We’re not exactly shooting the lights out, but we’ve been able to paper over the cracks when it gets tough and we’re learning. It’s exciting, it’s challenging, it’s entrepreneurship.
And the biggest reward?
I still get excited when I see someone wearing my product. The first time I saw someone wearing my product, I went “Ballo Ballo Ballo” and they looked at me, smiled weirdly and then went on with their day. It was such a kick. Really satisfying.
What advice would you have for prospective entrepreneurs that also want to build sustainable businesses?
Just give it a try. Just go. Just start. Your first step is never perfect, neither will your second or third, but you’ll learn from that. You’ll make progress and you’ll get somewhere worth going.
Also, let people do what they’re good at. If you’re not a numbers person, hire someone or partner with someone that is. You have to learn a bit about everything when you run a business, but specialists can make a big difference.
]]>Recently I've seen a lot of great lists of ways to lower your carbon footprint. A lot of great initiatives displacing old dirty industry with new cleaner industry (and I suppose that exactly what we are trying to do at Ballo).
The fact is that there's enough stuff out there so please don't buy more more more.
If you are gonna buy, which you probably will on Black Friday or in the next lead up Christmas, the best thing you can do is buy local. This is why:
The 50,000 tankers in the oceans produce 3x amount of green house gasses than all the cars on the planet... So that cheap pair of jean's fabric was made in india, dyed in Indonesia, buttons come from China and was sewed together in Bangladesh then sold in Europe or the USA has cost you next to nothing, but has cost the planet a bucket load of carbon in the atmosphere...
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There are few better things we can do for this planet than plant trees. So we have pledged to do more of this with our Tree Planting Partners, GreenPop.
In 2013 Ballo started planting trees as a way of giving back to mother nature. Earlier this year humans and oceans caught our attention. Which resulted in us getting behind other causes: rural African women (Mabel Feminine Hygiene) and helping to clean up our oceans (Beach Co-Op).
In light of recent atrocities in our planet's lungs (Amazonia), we are taking this pledge again- For every pair of sunglasses we sell, we will plant one tree or Spekboom (aka Portulacaria afra). Our Tree Planting partner
To mark this return to team tree, we have played with the shapes of the "ballo" text logo and made a tree logo. We will also make a range of TreeShirts to raise funds for the forests.
And then when we plant a lot of trees, we'll make a forest.
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Inspired by Japanese workwear, the Noragi fits into an elusive corner of the
outerwear group. Neither jacket nor shirt, it can be worn year-round for a
relaxed and loose feel. When was the last time you found something that isn’t
seasonal and doesn’t get hidden away for a year until next winter comes
around? Throw our Noragi over a tee in the summer or layer up in the winter.
Made from 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton, we’ve aimed to find the
perfect combination of fit, feel and sustainability with materials that will loosen
and soften with every wear and start to create character with age.
Traditionally, Japanese farmers and workers have worn the Noragi for its
versatility but also the fact that it was quick to throw on before starting work
and loose enough to not restrict movement. Sometimes designed with 3/4
sleeves, we have opted for a full-length arm that can be rolled.
Like most workwear staples, the Noragi has become a streetwear icon with
the influence of Japanese culture in utilitarian street style and clothing. Not to
be confused with the Kimono, the Noragi is certainly a more practical option,
with a hem that sits on the hip and sleeves that taper towards the wrists.
Shop our Noragi in ‘Stripe’ or ‘Sage’ online now!
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At Ballo we do things differently. In 2013 we joined the circular economy making unisex sunglasses by hand from recycled and upcycled materials and in 2016 started making other goods from sustainable fabrics.
As the business has grown, I realized that we wanted to try to run a business differently too. I want to put the planet before profit. I want to create employment rather than automate.
I find looking at traditional business structures frustrating. Inefficiency seems to be championed and profit maximization is always the goal, with waste as a mere byproduct of "success". Seeing things differently is a challenge, but one that is at the core of everything I do. I consider every material I use in the workshop- I see offcuts from surrounding businesses (wood, fabric, cork, recycled paper) as an opportunity to intercept prior to going to landfill and upcycle these into a world class product. I hire and train local craftsmen instead of using automated machinery. Meaning that to produce more sunglasses, I must employ more people- thereby doing my little bit to solve our country's biggest problem- unemployment.
At Ballo we view waste differently and put the planet before profit.
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It was a pleasure to feel the buzz of Joburg- we made electrical connections at First Thursdays and our new ethical clothing range was a great hit.
Huge thanks to everyone involved for having us in your incredible space. This building really does feel like the future of South African design.
In 2015 we began producing small runs of clothing from end-of-roll interior design fabrics. Ballo recently launched a range of clothing from exclusively natural fibre fabrics (hemp and linen) under a sub brand, the Ballo Beach Club.
The maiden voyage of the Ballo Beach Club will be the drop of a capsule of hemp clothing and Eyewear at THE ROWING BLAZERS CLUBHOUSE, 161 Grand Street, Soho, NYC on Tuesday 13 November.
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The well known Le BHV / Marais department store in Paris will be featuring Ballo sunglasses in store between 9th June - 31st July. If you are in the area, go explore the richness of some of the best design South Africa has to offer.
]]>Hearing Colors from Greg Brunkalla on Vimeo.
]]>He is able to identify colours through a particular musical note – seeing colours outside of the human visual spectrum.
Hearing Colors from Greg Brunkalla on Vimeo.
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Domestic Buffalo horn is one of the earliest materials used to make eyewear. It is an organic by-product of domestic water buffalo farming and is sourced without any harm coming to the animals.
As with any other pair of Ballo, you can rock these horn frames with either CR39 tinted lenses or fit them with your own prescription.
*Picture: Dewey shape
]]>This natural material has the remarkable quality of adjusting to the skins temperature and molding to your unique features as time goes by. As the horn ages it acquires an organic patina of the individual wearer. Your horn glasses will grow with you over time.
Horn ranges greatly in grain and color, making each pair unique. At Ballo, we craft every pair by hand, using 25 individual processes, then fit the frame with spring hinges and either CR39 tinted lenses or your prescription.
Genuine horn is hypoallergenic which means it is kind to your skin and therefore a great choice for people with skin sensitivity. Horn is a wonderful material to work with and we hope that you enjoy wearing them as much as we enjoy making them.
]]>New kid on the block- The Burge is sure to heat things up this summer.
*Pictured in Raw Imbuia wood with Cyan Mirror lens.
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New kid on the block- The Burge is sure to heat things up this summer. Rumored to cause isolated high pressure zones for a 5km radius and named after a man in a permanent purple patch- the Burge will be effortlessly owning beaches for years to come.
The Burge is currently available in Imbuia wood with either brown or grey polarised lenses or a selection of revo mirror lenses (red, orange, blue, green or cyan). Each pair also comes with a hard and soft case.
*Pictured below in Raw Imbuia wood with Cyan Mirror lens
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Most opticians will tell you they won't work with wooden frames as the frame will split.
We'll tell you different. At the core of every eyewood frame is a unique combination of recycled paper and off-cut timber, which are laminated together with a bio resin. This gives our frames durability and allows any pair of Ballo to be fit with prescription lenses.
]]>Most opticians will tell you they won't work with wooden frames as the frame will split.
We'll tell you different. At the core of every Ballo frame is a unique combination of recycled paper and off-cut timber, which are laminated together with a bio resin. This gives our frames durability and allows any pair of Ballo to be fit with prescription lenses. We then finish the frame with either off-cut timber; up cycled Denim; ShweShwe or domestic Buffalo horn.
Hundreds of Ballo frames have successfully been fit with prescription lenses- readers, bifocals, varifocals, photograde- we've done them all. Email hello@ballo.co.za for more.
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