https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/l-esprit-d-initiative/l-esprit-d-initiative-19-novembre-2019

Living in Auray, in Brittany, Laurent Pezé and Sandrine Guyot, whose family was a shellfish merchant, had the idea of transforming the tons of waste represented by shells into wealth. They recover them from professionals in the fishing and catering industries.

Europe's leading producer

France is Europe's leading producer of shellfish.  250,000 tonnes are taken out of the water every year. The French do not shy away from this production, they are even the leading consumers.

Frames made of shells

Laurent Pezé and Sandrine Guyot have thus created a collection of handmade sunglasses in partnership with fishing industry players, with frames made without plastic from scallops, oysters or mussels..

The scallops of Trouville-sur-Mer

All glasses are identifiable.  There is the glass in Saint-Jacques de Trouville, the oyster glass from Cancale but also the mussel glass from Mont-Saint-Michel.

In colour but without smell

The glasses respect the appearance of the shell. The scallop is made of cream and brown scales with of course a little orange colour. The Mont-Saint-Michel mussel glasses are blue with yellow tips like the mollusc.

Oyster farmers, restaurateurs

The Friendly Frenchy glasses are made from shells recovered from oyster farmers in Cap Ferret, Cancale. Restorers are also interested in getting rid of their shells this way. This is the case with Trouville. These at least won't be incinerated or buried...

An alternative to plastic

The shells are cleaned and then crushed. This raw material is then bound with a vegetable oil and used to make the frame for the pair of glasses. As for the lenses, they come from Oyonnax in the Ain.

Like seafood platters, these sunglasses have a cost: they are worth between 85 and 250 euros.

Sandrine Guyot, the co-founder of Friendly Frenchy with Emmanuel Moreau