If you’ve made the decision to be outside this summer (good for you!), you’re going to need a great pair of shades. While they may be small, sunglasses have a large impact, possessing the ability to instantly elevate your outfit and style. Sleep deprived after a [redacted]-fueled partying binge in Ibiza? Put on some shades. Hitting the beach somewhere on the Med? A pair of stylish frames are non-negotiable. Simply don’t want to be perceived? You get the idea…
Among the best offerings, shop pairs from trendy homegrown labels. Whether you’re into cheeky cat-eyes, retro aviators, or futuristic micro-frames, there is something for everyone. As the weather continues to heat up, keep scrolling to discover six Arab-owned and celebrity-approved eyewear labels to invest in this summer.
Karen Wazen Eyewear
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The Dubai-based style influencer and entrepreneur Karen Wazen has generated a cult following with her namesake eyewear brand that launched in 2018. Her pieces have been spotted on everyone from Kourtney Kardashian and Shakira to Naomi Watts and Emma Stone.
Port Tanger
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The handcrafted eyewear line, which seeks inspiration from the Moroccan city of Tangier, was founded in 2017 by Daniël Sumarna and Bilal Fellah. Everyone from ASAP Rocky to Imaan Hammam have been pictured wearing the brand’s colorful and playful shades.
A Better Feeling
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You’ve probably seen Travis Scott, Julia Fox, and Rosalia wearing a pair of the label’s futuristic frames. The brainchild of Egyptian artist Xander Ghost, the cult sunglasses label scooped up the 2023 Fashion Trust Arabia accessories prize for its innovative and outré designs.
Roberi & Fraud
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Inspired by an iconic quote from internet sensation Joanne the Scammer (“I love robbery and I love fraud”), Dubai-based friends Ali Mehrdad Soudbakhsh and Stefan Foster established their eyewear label in 2017. Beyonce, Bella Hadid, and Rihanna are only some of the A-list names who have been spotted in their designs.
Okhtein
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The celebrity-loved Egyptian accessories brand launched its debut eyewear collection, a stunning assortment of sunglasses, in 2020. Since then, the founders, sisters Aya and Mounaz Abdelraouf, have collaborated with Yasmin Sabri on a range of shades and seen their creations on the likes of Maluma and Ramy Youssef.
Ahlem Eyewear
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French-Tunisian designer Ahlem Manai-Platt launched her namesake eyewear brand in Los Angeles 11-years-ago. Distributed in over 40 countries, the sunglasses brand, which counts LeBron James, Emily Ratajkowski, and Gigi Hadid as fans, won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2017.
