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| Bôhten Eyewear. For a full product catalogue and to place an order, visit www.bohten.com. Photo: John Smith |
Luxurious. Ultra-chic. High-quality. Eco-friendly.
Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not.
Thursday, November 14, marked the official launch of Bôhten Eyewear, a new design line of ultra-chic, eco-friendly
luxury eyeglasses. From December 2012 when Bôhten debuted
with Barklae, its first collection, the brand is taking off with fireworks:
it’s already attracted attention from the Ottawa Citizen, where journalist
Ellen O’Connor called the shades “uber-cool,” and appeared at Ottawa Fashion
Week, Black Expo Design in Montreal, and on the back cover of Press the Fashion
Magazine.
The vision of Bôhten first appeared to Nana
Boateng Osei, CEO and Founder of Bôhten, from the
mountainous region of Kwahu, the highest habitable place in Ghana: that vision
was to create social and environmental awareness and responsibility. Named
after his middle name, Boateng, meaning prosperity, Bôhten’s—and
Osei’s—journey to change the face of Africa will be nothing short of historic,
and with his roots still buried deep in his Ghanaian heritage, Osei continues
to draw inspiration from his homeland for his designer collections.
And although he wasn’t able to slay the dragons in Dragon’s Den,
Osei is still fierce in his determination to see his vision become reality and
to prove that fashion doesn’t have to be at the cost of social responsibility.
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| Model Naira Fragoso wearing Bôhten Exstel Tortoise Acetate & Wood. Photo: John Smith |
The launch featured the new iconic Aristocratz Sunwear, inspired
by Sid Cratzberg, known as the Aristocrat of Scent. Made of 100% reclaimed
zebrawood, the new design is eco-luxury at it’s finest: both bold and timeless.
Maybe this is why November’s African Symbol of the Month, on Bôhten’s website, is “Sesa wo suban,” meaning “change or
transform your character.” In a world of mostly mass-produced manufactured
products, Bôhten offers something that’s significantly
lacking in fashion today. I can think of no better words than Cratzberg’s:
“Fashion with a social conscience.”
Bôhten represents exactly that: a change for
a more conscientious fashion sense… without having to sacrifice style.
