All the materials used by Keloa Eyewear are sourced from the Finnish nature. Both reindeer antler and birch bark are renewable materials that have been used for centuries in traditional Finnish handcraft and also deserve their place in the modern everyday.
Birch bark is similar to leather in how it behaves; when handled correctly and oiled properly it is soft and flexible.
Birch bark reminds many Finns of kindlings or shoes made of twined bark. But it can be used for so much more: jewellery, packaging, cups or storage for food. In old Finnish houses, birch has also been used as insulation.
When the bark is collected in the right manner, it does not harm the tree. Keloa’s birch bark comes from privately owned forests and some are excess from forestry. Birch bark is similar to leather in how it behaves; when handled correctly and oiled properly it is soft and flexible. When touched, it feels closer to cork than wood. To add flexibility required in the eyewear, we add Finnish birch veneer. The benefits of bark are evident in the usability: it is light and remains warm even in freezing cold temperatures. Due to its texture, the frame does not slide down on wearer’s nose like plastic.
The colour and composition of birch bark varies
The colour and composition of birch bark varies based on where it grew and when it was harvested. In the winter, it is dark and thick whereas in wetlands it is closer to yellow. Traditionally, the bark is harvested around midsummer with the permission of the land owner and by those who know how to do it with respect for nature. Like all natural materials, the birch bark may deepen in colour as time goes by.
Each horn itself determines what kind of frame it wants to be shaped into.
Reindeer is a half-wild wanderer of the Arctic. Both genders have antlers that they naturally drop every year and grow new ones the next. If you are lucky, you can spot antlers in the Lappish fells and forests.
Keloa Eyewear mainly collects the antlers from reindeer herders and uses mostly stag antlers. These may weigh up to 4 kg and grow even 2 centimetres per day in the growth season. The antlers suitable for Keloa’s purposes are rare. As the size, shape, colour and composition of antlers vary, it is essential to choose only the most suitable pieces to make eyewear. Therefore, each horn itself determines what kind of frame it wants to be shaped into.
Each frame is therefore always unique both in shape and colour.
