INTRODUCING THE MONC REPAIR CART

Good design should stand the test of time, but the secret to making a well-crafted item last is a team effort involving the designer and the wearer.

This year, we’ve been dreaming up something special. One compact modular cart with three wheels (or four if you count the polishing wheel) - we’d like to introduce you to the MONC Repair Cart.

THE IDEA

Back in April, the team got together to think about the future, for both MONC and the eyewear industry.We soon realised that the aim of ‘sustainability’ lacked definition, and decided to spend this year further exploring our values and defining our mission.

If we want to design timeless eyewear with minimal impact we must keep frames on faces as long as possible. It’s our responsibility to ensure longevity, but, wear and tear is inevitable.

We want our community to love their frames, take them on adventures and trust they’ll withstand whatever life throws at them. So we must reconsider the product life cycle.When a nose bridge snaps, a temple comes loose or simply they pick up a few more scratches than we’d like, is the only solution a new frame?

With over 50% of the global population wearing spectacles, and even more wearing sunglasses, we’re on a mission to save eyewear from landfill by giving that old pair a second chance…

Just as you would take your clothes to the tailors or the dry cleaners, we’re keen to make this type of service accessible within the eyewear industry too.

THE AIM: DEVELOPING THE MONC REPAIR PROGRAMME

Later this year, we will be launching a new Repair Programme.The cart is a way of introducing the craft behind frame repair and adjustment, engaging people in important conversations regarding the eyewear industry and gathering valuable research to help us develop a considered approach to an issue relatively unspoken about in our industry.

Throughout the summer, we will be taking it to the streets of London to begin our research, fixing up frames free of charge for anyone who completes our survey.

THE BUILD

Over the last month, the cart has been sketched, modeled and brought to life by our Alice, our Designer and Head of Repairs, and her partner Jake Kaliszewski - an artist and maker.

Made out of stainless steel hardware, aluminum square tubing, and corrugated hemp roofing tile, the MONC repair bike was designed to be lightweight, easily dismantled, and entirely recyclable- meaning no permanent fixing methods.

The main structure is split into two modules:

The repair module sits at the front of the cart, Contains two shelves and a slide-out work surface with a bench peg to aid with frame reshaping. This holds all of the tools needed to do most repairs as well as a polishing wheel and rivet press.

The service module has space to hold stock and anything else one might need to represent a company out in the field- a tablet for taking surveys, a camera, signage, or a packed lunch.

The lower shelf of the module houses the electrical unit. Inside this unassuming MONC green box is a 130ah leisure battery connected to a 1100w inverter and a solar charge control module. From this box comes an extension lead to power a polishing wheel, dremel and frame heater, as well as cables to the 120w solar panel on the canopy.

SERVICES ON OFFER

On the repair cart, we will be offering the following services to those who fill out our survey:

- Polishing - to get rid of any scratches

- Reshaping - to mould the frame back to it’s original shape

- Hinge tightening - to stop floppy/loose temples

If you’d like to support us either way, please click here to fill out our 2 minute survey.

STAY IN THE LOOP

If you’d like to be the first to know about where and when we’ll be popping up with the repair cart this summer, sign up to our newsletter below and keep an eye on our social @monceyewear