Optical Prism January 2019 | Page 29

“After working in the eyewear industry internationally, we returned home to the east coast of Canada to start a different kind of eyewear company - specializing in design and prototyping, short-run production and custom handmade eyewear under our house brand Fellow Earthlings,” says Sydney Seggie. “From our seaside workshop, Fellow Earthlings offers handmade-to-order eyewear, giving customers the oppor- tunity to select their own shape, material and lens combinations.” P.E.I. has a long-standing history in the eyewear industry and was once the go-to location for fashionable lenses. The Seggies are proud of what they do. “To be able to bring eyewear manufac- turing back to Canada - most people don't remember there were once factories in P.E.I., New Brunswick, Ontario. To be able to offer an affordable made-to- order service where the choice is given back to the customer and they can also feel good about where it is made, is something we're really proud of.” “Fellow Earthlings has returned eye- wear manufacturing to the island. At one time, P.E.I. had a thriving indus- try making products for major brands from Ray-Ban to Ralph Lauren in the late 1980s,” says Seggie. “My father was involved in the old Tannereye factory and introduced us to our frame-making mentor John Barr, who had been the production manager at the factory after working in eyewear factories all over the world, starting in England when he was 15.” Fellow Earthlings can satisfy any style preference and they take things to the next level. “The launch of our Fellow Earthlings (RE)FE collection is a culmination of our commitment to sustainability and creativity,” says Seggie. “Every pair of (RE)FE is made from one of our handmade recycled mate- rial slabs, recycled in house by Fellow Earthlings from scrap material that would otherwise be waste in a tradi- tional manufacturing environment.” The pair brings back years of experience to P.E.I. “We previously worked internationally in the licensed eyewear industry doing brand management where we developed a passion for eyewear design. We got the itch to start our own company back home in Canada and take that passion one step further into eyewear manufacturing.” For their success, Sydney says it’s all about “constant improvement, always trying to be better, never stopping, listening and learning. Never feeling like you're there because once you're at the top of a hill you can only go down, so always keep climbing.” For more information on Fellow Earthlings, visit fellowearthlings.com OPTICAL PRISM | January 2019 27