Small black owned eyewear brands Recognized for making the industry more inclusive: In The Press

Bôhten’s work in creating more inclusive eyewear for the black community has not gone unnoticed. The Zoe Report recognized Bôhten, along with two other small black-owned eyewear brands Vontélle and Shades of Shades, for their efforts in creating a more diverse and inclusive space in the eyewear industry. 

In their recently published feature written by Kelsey Stweart, our Co-founder Nana Boateng was interviewed and he shared how Bôhten went about creating sustainable eyewear to fit the black consumer. It took nearly two years of research and development by the Bôhten brothers “...to determine the average pupillary distance (meaning, the space from one pupil to another) for people of color, which he says is 68mm versus the industry standard of 62mm.” The Zoe Report pointed out the fact that with Bôhten frames, “…the temples of the glasses are longer, and the frames’ bridges are wider than those found in traditional eyewear” to ensure the glasses fit black faces better.

The platform highlighted Bôhten’s use of sustainable materials such as reclaimed wood from Ghana and plant-based acetate from Italy to make our products. They also mentioned our eye care program Club Bôhten and our initiative of implementing free eye screenings in Accra, Ghana. 

The other small black-owned eyewear brands featured in the piece are Vontélle and Shades of Shades. These two female owned companies are also making waves by creating frames with the right color and fit to suit black people. 

Bôhten is honored to be a part of this small yet mighty group of black-owned companies working to make a change in the eyewear industry. These brands will continue to produce more inclusive, diverse, state of the art eyewear for you to be able to enjoy and wear comfortably. 

Thank you to The Zoe Report for the feature and we encourage you to stay tuned for more of what Bôhten has to come!