Africa

Images curtesy of MHI , Wikipedia and Google Maps

In exactly one week we will be leaving for Africa. We are donating glasses to a project in South Sudan. We are partnering with Mobile Heath International (link here) and they have graciously invited us to stay with them as their guests in Kajo Keji in the state of Central Equatoria .

I have been to Africa once before. We went to Tanzania with Lars' parents for Christmas in 2005. It was an amazing experience and, I will admit, a very pampered trip. I expect this one will be a little different :)

L&K in the Serengeti, 2005

We are both so excited and very happy to get the chance to immerse ourselves in the donation aspect of Karmoie! 


For my part I must admit to being a bit nervous. I have not practiced medicine these past few years and I feel more than a bit rusty. I have pulled out my books and plan to take some time to sit down and brush up before we leave. I am not going there to work as a physician, but would nevertheless like to be as useful as I can. Our contact person at MHI kindly sent me a little overview of the medical conditions they are most commonly faced with. If any of our doctor friends (any ophthalmologists out there?) have some recommendations regarding textbooks I should look into, please leave a comment below. I need all the help I can get :)

We have topped up on our vaccines and started getting our gear ready, but as Lars and I haven't really been camping or backpacking a lot, I suspect we still have some shopping to do. Any advice?

Lots of love, K

One

One, Black

"One" was the first frame I designed. Hence the name :)

I started drawing in October of 2010. At the time we had not told anyone about what we were doing (well, our office is on the same floor as my dad's office and we don't have a door, so he kinda figured we were up to something eyewear-related, but we had not officially told him). Everything was new, unfamiliar and intimidating.


Looking back I think we were quite brave, because we knew absolutely nothing about the eyewear industry. Perhaps we wouldn't have gotten into this if we did... We are still riding on a leap of faith so I guess we are just as crazy today.


The situation we were in, deciding to stop and start over, and building our own business from scratch must have manifested itself in what I was feeling creatively (blah! this sounds so self indulgent... and I suppose it was).  


I remember wanting to create a very basic, no-fuss frame. To me "One" is a sort of blank canvas, a new beginning. It holds a very special place in my heart :)

One, Beach

The first drawings probably don't look very much like the final product in terms of dimensions and angles but I would like to think that the feeling is the same.

One, Forest

As you can see there are very few bells and whistles on this frame. There's our logo on the inside and the two circles on the outside of the left temple and the wood-like finish on both temples. Keeping it clean.

One, Havana

"One" is a unisex frame, available in two sizes, Small and Large. 


"One Large" is available in four colors:

- Black

- Havana: a rich brown tortoise shell effect

- Beach: a light, high-contrast tortoise shell

- Forest: a soft multilayered brown

One, Acorn

"One Small" is available in four colors:

- Black

- Acorn: a rich brown tortoise shell effect, similar to Havana, but a little more reddish in color and the pattern is a bit more dense

- Beach: a light, high-contrast tortoise shell

- Forest: a soft multilayered brown


Well, there you have it. That's the story behind the first frames we created. I will probably be making a few posts like this one. One for every style.


Lots of love, K

Welcome to our blog!

Here we go! 


Our website is nearly ready and stock is coming in. It is time to unveil what we have been working on these past two years.


We have started this blog to have a place to connect with everyone who would like to know about what we are up to here at Karmoie.


We'll be posting updates from the donation projects we participate in, pictures of our sunglasses, of us working and whatever we feel like sharing with all of you. We haven't really made any fixed plans for what we will be posting about, but we do know that we want to share this journey with you.


Let's start off with a picture of the Karmoie family. Allow us to introduce our babies: Holly, Smart, Cory, One, Club and Buddy.

Photo by Cato Aurtun

We will be posting more pictures of the different styles in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Lots of love, K