Reuse at its core

MONC has reuse at its core. Its eyewear ranges are crafted from materials that can be recycled repeatedly. Everything inside its store can be disassembled to be reused or returned to the ground. So, when it sought a surface material to serve as a sustainable yet stylish display for its collections, Smile was the discerning choice of collaborator.

The brainchild of owner and creative director Freddie Elborne, MONC has been developed alongside Nina Woodcroft – the design expertise behind London’s first zero-waste restaurant, SILO (which also features surfaces from Smile).

Led by a combined set of values in which quality, provenance and ethical production are of the same importance as aesthetics, MONC strives for a closed loop system across its entire operations.

The concept

The idea for MONC was spurred on by a discovery that the eyewear industry produces a vast amount of waste. In the production of frames for glasses, up to 80% of acetate isn’t used. Instead, going into landfill or being incinerated. The decision was taken that MONC would be completely zero waste, ensuring everything within the business could be reused or recycled.

The design

The store’s interior design takes creative cues from its overarching mission, with a colour palette comprising pops of Apricot, from our Custom PET wash material, used for the POS display units - earthy terracottas and cool greys – seen in the corn starch foam, corrugated hemp and mycelium materials used throughout.