Ever since I started my nonprofit organization, Style Lottery, I have been thinking about the role of fashion/apparel brands play in philanthropy. To be honest, when the marketing team at Warby Parker approached me about doing a post about their new sunglasses my first thought was to decline. Yea, they are a super chic glasses company but what made them different than the other brands?

I headed over to their site to check out their merchandise. Their website is a beautifully designed blog. I kept scrolling down their page, looking at their gorgeous layout and design. I stumbled on their new sunglasses line called the SPECTRUM Sun Collection:

I love the look of the frames from Warby Parker. I can spot them from a mile away. They’re so unique and have a classic retro feel to them. My current prescription glasses fit into this style of frames. I especially like the DEAN English Oak and the DOWNING Striped Sassafras.

Warby Parker has a Try-On methods. A guy I met last week told me he’s taken advantage of the Home Try-On option and had worn different frames for every day of class. I would love this option. I like changing things up. But it wasn’t even these hipsteresque frames or even the Try-on options that sold me on this company. It was their Do Good efforts. For as many times as I’ve seen these glasses and admired them, I never realized how much philanthropy Warby Parker was doing for people around the world.

Warby Parker has a “buy a pair, give a pair” system, much like that of TOMs shoes:

I have started realizing that impacting the world through fashion may require me to buy more expensive items in order to do more good. I have bought two pairs of TOMs shoes, not just because of the aesthetic but because of the heart behind it. Some may criticize brands with this “buy one, give one” model but I would argue that these companies are addressing issues that would otherwise go unnoticed. At the very least, they are raising awareness. A few months ago, my church did a donation drive of old glasses to send to widows and orphans overseas. Prior to that moment, that issue wasn’t even on my radar. I’m attracted to the look of this brand and the heart behind it. I look forward to seeing more brands take up philanthropic causes.