5.jpg "How Fellow Earthlings Became the Go-To For Runway Eyewear")
This past New York Fashion Week, the models on Luar’s spring 2025 runway emerged wearing gigantic shield shades. They were impossible to miss, punctuating nearly every one of the brand’s distinctively-cool looks with their bold, oversized silhouette. Intrigued, we soon learned that the statement styles stemmed from a collaboration between designer Raul Lopez and Fellow Earthlings, a Canadian eyewear label based in Prince Edward Island that’s fast becoming the go-to source for fun runway glasses.
You could call Fellow Earthlings co-founders Sydney and Christopher Seggie masters of eyewear. Before launching their brand in 2015, the husband and wife duo worked in cities like Hong Kong and London managing licensed eyewear products. “It often felt creatively limiting, and that frustration drove us to learn how to make eyewear ourselves,” Sydney tells Vogue. When the pair eventually moved back to their native PEI, they began toying with the idea of launching their own brand. Fast-forward to today, and they have a full-fledged studio on PEI, crafting their signature sunglasses from materials such as recycled acetates. “They’re made in-house from what would normally be manufacturing waste,” says Sydney. “Typically, 80 percent of each slab is discarded in standard production. Developing our recycling process also gave us the ability to create custom acetate, allowing us to experiment with color and thickness.”
It didn’t take long for fashion brands to notice their unique, sustainable styles. Since launching, the brand has become a surprising source for bold runway styles—working with brands like Luar and Anna Sui, who was their very first high-fashion partner. “I had worked as a brand manager on her eyewear collection in Hong Kong, and she was so encouraging of us,” says Sydney of working with Sui. One of the first styles they collaborated on was a pair of cloud-inspired shades for Sui in 2020. “We made them in isolation during Covid lockdown, and I felt like they were timely when we all needed a little lightness and a filter on the world with the soft pastel tints,” says Sydney.
This season, Fellow Earthlings continued their work with Luar, which has become one of the brand’s most frequent collaborators. “Working with Raul and the Luar team is always an exciting and creative experience,” says Sydney. Back in spring 2024, they created exaggerated shades that doubled as a mask; stars like Solange and Doja Cat ended up wearing them. This season, they created thick shields made out of black marble acetates. They were “inspired by the punk glam movement in the late ’90s,” says Sydney. A pinch-me moment arrived when Madonna wore them in the front row. “So iconic,” says Sydney.