Ombraz CoFounder, Jensen, was on a camel safari in India, when, *snap, someone sat on his sunglasses and the sidearms broke off. Jensen tied a piece of twine to both hinges and wrapped the twine around the back of his head. He couldn't believe how well the Macgyvered pair worked. They didn't slip down his nose, they were secure yet comfy, and when he didn't need them on, he could drop them around his neck or throw them in a pocket without fear of breaking them. Over the next 5 years, enough people inquired about the unique design to propel the business idea and lead to the most practical sunglasses in the industry.

Jensen teamed up with Nikolai, a friend from college, with an adept e-commerce background. Headquartered in a barn loft on a 3-acre farm in Bellevue, WA, the two developed components, built out the supply chain and masterminded the Ombraz brand. Jensen & Nikolai launched Ombraz on Indiegogo in Spring 2018. In 30 days, Ombraz raised $165,000 from over 1,400 backers across all 7 continents, 54 countries and all 50 US states. Check out the launch video below, it's a good time.

Within 3 months of delivering to backers, Ombraz won Backpacker Magazine's 2019 Gear Editors' Choice Award and garnered incredible feedback from major gear publications like Gear Patrol, Gear Junkie, Freeskier Magazine, Rock & Ice, Climbing Magazine, and Outside Magazine.

Transparency, trust, rapport and ecological stewardship are key to Ombraz' supplier relationships. Founders Jensen and Nikolai believe that hands-on product development and manufacturing are critical to success. Prior to launching Ombraz, the two spent two years sourcing the right suppliers and personally visiting their factories. The first 3,000 pairs of Ombraz were handmade by the founders in Seattle. Now, a skilled team in Asia hand-assembles each pair. Jensen and Nikolai oversee quality control for every production run, and continuously optimize and refine the Ombraz supply chain. check out the assembly process in the quick clip below!