Repurposed Discarded Oyster Shells Transformed to Sunglasses
ostrea (n.) - Latin - oyster
Luxury Sunglasses Coming Soon!
Ostrea & Co Styles was born out of a sense that the sleep walking status quo has to change. That has to begin with our everyday choices. Sustainability can only move forward when consumers lead businesses in the right direction. The burgeoning circular economy looks to use the resources already around us. We are here to humbly do our part where we can as stewards of the rock upon which we all live. We think everyone should pitch in where they can.
Ostrea & Co Styles offers the discerning consumer the chance to choose style and common sense. Choose a fashion piece you can tell stories about. Express your unique style and help do the right thing in the course of your fashion statement.
Our company is repurposing discarded oyster shells that otherwise are a menace to surrounding wildlife, waterways and the environment at large. It’s just common sense. Let’s use the resources already around us rather than producing millions of tons of waste that becomes a new problem.
We are all just ordinary people doing something that can make an extraordinary difference. We built this company so you can do the same. We are proud to offer our line of premium sunglasses that have been carefully rafted in Italy by a generational artisan eyewear family. Our partner has been honing their craft since the 1960’s including pioneering the path forward in sustainable materials. We have chosen our partners carefully in order to give you the choice we know you want.
Our company will set aside a portion of every purchase of our sunglasses to be donated to a deserving non profit that is working to rebuild oyster reefs along coastal waterways. When oysters thrive, people work and our communities and waterways benefit and thrive too. We are all in for that!
Thank you for choosing Ostrea & Co Styles.
Our Story
I visited friends of mine in Charleston, SC for the Fourth of July holiday, 2024. During the visit as we made our way around the surrounding beach communities, I noticed piles of oyster shells that were discarded at a number of different locations. It was explained to me that oysters are a hallmark of the Charleston dining scene and the discarded oyster shells were certainly proof of that. It was essentially at this moment that Ostrea & Co Styles was born. After the Charleston trip I began to research the oyster shell waste issue and discovered that it was widespread throughout the world in coastal communities where oysters are consumed in large numbers. Why not use this resource that is readily available? I learned that when dumped in landfills, these shells become a menace to the surrounding waterways and environment.
The focus of our business is to provide a high end fashion piece that coexists comfortably with sustainability. We will use this renewable resource but we will also give back. We chose sunglasses because it aligns with our personal brand. I spent my formative years doing summers at the Jersey shore from Avalon and Sea Isle City all the way up to Asbury Park. I was the benefactor of so much fun and beauty on the bay and ocean, its in the DNA of me and my friends. We also wanted to make something that was “everyman” because it can make a bigger impact because everyone uses sunglasses.
Ostrea & Co Styles will donate a portion of the proceeds of each sale to support oyster reef restoration in deserving coastal areas. We believe in balancing purpose and commerce. We believe in the circular economy. We are all just ordinary people. We can make an extraordinary difference when each of us decides to be the difference. Thank you for visiting our site. We hope you choose Ostrea.
Balancing Purpose with Commerce - Ostrea & Co Styles Mindset
Repurposing Oyster Shells: A Sustainable Solution for Waste Management and Coastal Conservation
Oyster shells have traditionally been discarded as waste. Recent studies have highlighted the environmental benefits of repurposing the shells for other uses. By diverting oyster shells from landfills and incorporating them into sustainable products, we can reduce waste, promote coastal conservation, and contribute to a more circular economy.
Environmental Benefits of Repurposing Oyster Shells
Reduction of landfill waste: Oyster shells, when disposed of in landfills, can contribute to the accumulation of waste and release harmful pollutants. By repurposing the shells, we can reduce the burden on landfills and minimize environmental contamination.
Habitat restoration: Oyster reefs, formed by the accumulation of oyster shells, provide critical habitat for a diverse range of marine species. Repurposing oyster shells can be used to recreate artificial reefs, which can help restore degraded habitats and enhance biodiversity.
Nutrient Cycling: Oyster reefs play a vital role in nutrient cycling, filtering excess nutrients from the water column and preventing harful algae blooms. Repurposing oyster shells can support the development of healthy oyster reefs, thereby improving water quality and ecosystem health.
Carbon Sequestration: Oyster shells are composed of calcium carbonate, a mineral that can absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Incorporating oyster shells into reef restoration projects can contribute to carbon sequestration and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Addressing Concerns About Competing with Oyster Reef Restoration
Natural oyster reefs thrive with specific types of shells with particular charactersistics, such as strength and surface type. By repurposing shells not used for reef restoration, we can be part of the solution. While some oyster shells may be recycled or used for other purposes, a portion of them end up as waste in coastal regions. The discarded shells can have negative impacts on the environment such as affecting water quatlity or interfering with marine habitats.
Repurposing oyster shells represents a sustainable and innovative approach to waste management and coastal conservation. By diverting these shells from landfills and incorporating them into consumer products, we can reduce environmental pollution, enhance marine habitats, and contribute to a more circular economy.
Sustainable is Fashionable All Around the World
All over the world, fashion forward and sustainability focused consumers are making different kinds of choices that reflect an unwavering support for the health and stewardship of our oceans and planet. The clear imperative — we will not sacrifice personal expression and fashion for sustainability. They do and must go together.
At Ostrea & Co Styles, sustainability is a strategic imperative, not a side dish.
Founder's Corner
9/22/24
All of my friends know I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. This morning as I read about the actor who will be portraying him in some movie about his life. Jeremy Allen White is the actor and he was featured in the pages of GQ magazine talking about his sense of style. I was struck at his description of style as the thing in which you are the most comfortable, because comfort will make it look good on you. I thought about that in the context of selling and buying sunglasses as well as the wider myriad of consumer choices we make every day. Maybe comfort needs to be expanded outside of just how something feels hanging on your body. But how does it feel hanging on your soul and conscience? For something to be truly comfortable, we need to expand the meaning of comfortable in the luxury fashion space. If the product you choose looks great on you, but the labor used to bring it to you was exploited and its a menace to the environment for years to come, how can something feel truly comfortable? Each of us has a role to play in moving the needle in sustainability more toward everyday choices rather than being the exception to the rule. We can vote with our conscience and our dollars.
Sincerely,
Barry
Founder & CEO
Ostrea & Co Styles