BALLO

BALLO was founded in Cape Town in 2013 on a simple conviction: open eyes lead to open minds, and open minds make for a brighter world. Every frame is handmade in South Africa from reclaimed and plant-based materials — wood and fabric offcuts, recycled paper, cork left over from wine-bottle production, and bio-acetate. A single pair passes through a unique sequence of twenty-three hand-crafted processes, which means that making more eyewear means employing and empowering more people. Eyes open. Minds open.

Designer and social entrepreneur Alistair Barnes founded BALLO in 2013 after working with a US wooden-eyewear brand that claimed American manufacture while producing in China. That deception became the brand's founding argument: authentic, sustainable, handmade in Cape Town. He remains CEO and Creative Director, overseeing operations, product development and design. The name joins his surname, Barnes, with his mother's maiden name, Gallo — and means "I dance" in Italian.

Twenty-three hand-crafted processes per pair, executed with local artisans alongside global material innovators. Frames give a second life to wood and fabric offcuts, paper, plastic bottles and cork, with ongoing work in plant-based biodegradable acetate and prototypes made from previously unrecyclable multi-layer packaging.

B Corp certified and a contributing member of 1% for the Planet. Frames are made only from recycled, upcycled or plant-based materials, including cork offcuts and bio-resin with end-of-roll canvas. The house has supported 1% for the Planet, GreenPop, Women for Change, Langa For Men, SurfPop and Sentinel Ocean Alliance. Since 2024, the BUY 1 GIVE 1 project donates a frame to a South African schoolchild in need of glasses for every pair sold, through the One School at a Time programme with the African Eye Institute.