Sydney-born eyewear label Carve has entered the safety category, launching a range of protective glasses designed to meet Australian, New Zealand and US safety standards while retaining the brand's lifestyle design aesthetic.
The range comprises four styles – Volley, Vendetta, Smoko and Chippy – with recommended retail prices between $39.99 and $79.99. Each style features shatterproof, high-grade polycarbonate frames and lenses certified to meet the AS/NZS 1337.1:2010 standard in Australia and New Zealand, and the ANSI Z87.1+ standard in the US.
The eyewear is designed for building and construction, mining, healthcare and other industries requiring certified eye protection, and is intended for use both on and off worksites.
A range of lens options is available, including clear, yellow, rose, grey, iridium and photochromatic variants, catering to different lighting conditions and applications. All lenses offer UV400 protection, blocking 99.9 per cent of UVA and UVB rays.
This comes nearly 30 years after the brand was founded in Sydney by Matt Whyte, while he was working as a carpenter. Over time, Carve expanded from general sunglasses for men and women into snow goggles and performance eyewear, as well as apparel and lifestyle accessories.
Carve founder Matt Whyte said the expansion into safety eyewear followed from the brand's origins.
“CARVE started in 1998 when I was working as a carpenter and kept breaking my sunglasses,” said Whyte. “That experience gave me the idea to create premium eyewear at a price more Australians could afford.”
“Safety eyewear felt like the next logical step for the brand. Workers need eye protection that performs on site, but that doesn’t mean it has to look or feel like traditional safety gear.
“Tradies have trusted and worn Carve sunglasses for over 25 years; now our Safety Range delivers durability, certified high-impact protection, all-day comfort and the kind of styling people actually want to wear at work.”
The Carve Safety Eyewear range is available online and through independent retailers. The brand’s ranges are stocked across hundreds of retailers nationwide, particularly local surf retailers.