UV radiation is always there, every day of the year regardless of whether it is sunny or overcast and whilst it has positive effects on the production of Vitamin D, it is also something we should protect against.  Protection is required both for our skin and our eyes as it can have damaging effects.

Whilst we are generally aware of how to protect our skin with the application of sun screen, many people are less familiar with protecting their eyes from UV rays and to do so you should always have UV protective lens in your sunglasses.

The sun emits three types of UV.  These are UVA, UVB and UVC.  The UV comes to us in waves, ones of different lengths, and these wave lengths are measure in nano-metres (nm).  So each type of UV has a range as you'll see in the diagram below.

There are different standards across the industry in eyewear, many at the lower end are cheap and ineffective, not blocking these various wave lengths and posing a risk to the wearer as they look into the light with their eyes wide open but without sufficient protection causing ill effects such as Photokeratitis, essentially sunburn of the cornea. 

At Trads our lens is our signature.  Our gradient lens from amber through subtle rose creates a beautiful warmth to the world around you and is the cumulation of a year of development work.  With this we were not wanting to cut any corners and your safety is paramount to us.  As such we utilised the highest standard in UV protection in all our lens.

Our lens provide what is termed as UV400nm protection.  So what does this mean?  In simple terms it provides protection from Ultraviolet waves shorter than or equal to 400 nano-metres meaning that you can block the full spectrum of that harmful UV that causes damage to the eyes.  

When you wear Trads sunglasses, you can go out into the day knowing that you're fully protected not just the eyes themselves but also the surrounding areas (ocular adnex).  These areas are also very sensitive to UV radiation, developing wrinkles, sun spots freckles and even skin cancer in some cases, so scientific and regulatory bodies have always recommended seeking the highest level of protection from your lens. As such 400nm is always the best choice when choosing a lens.

Check out our range of sunglasses knowing that whatever you choose you'll be wearing the highest standard of protection as well as looking great.

By now you probably know that we are rather proud of our lens.  Designed to be the ultimate graduated lens, it changes from a dark amber at the top, gently fading into a soft rose at the base.  The result.. you don't need to sacrifice colour and warmth when you put on a set of Trads sunglasses, but rather can enjoy all the colour and vibrance that comes with a sunny day whilst protecting your eyes.

We were in Valencia recently and naturally had our cameras with us, and decided to have a little fun with the idea behind the lens, taking it a little further to show how ever on a cold Scottish day, it is possible to see things in a more positive light.  Check it out below.

Really..it is.  However nobody said we couldn't have fun while we do it? That's something that really stands out about the Trads projects. The likes of the previous photoshoot trip to Madrid was massively intense, from organising to cramming in everything on a tight schedule whilst there.  However after the last photo has been taken, it gives us an opportunity to relax, socialise and see some pretty cool places. What it offered in photogenic locations was also matched in interesting places to hang out, eat and relax.

Aside from wondering the streets at night, we discovered possibly one of the coolest bars around (pictured at the top).  A former adult cinema, it's art deco architecture has been left bare, without complete restoration, peeled paint and plants grow up it's walls, making it an amazingly unique bar, kitted out with deck chairs, soft lighting and classic films like Vertigo being projected onto the old wall above the bar. 

If you want to check it out, it's called Sale Equis and it is located in central Madrid, click here for directions!

The food scene is pretty serious too.  From coffee with various pastries and fruits for breakfast, to tapas and a glass of wine in the evenings, pre-work pick me ups and post-work food binges are quite an eventful affair.  Oh and churros...always churros.

When you need sunshine you can't necessarily rely on the UK.  Having put around 18 months into developing and prototyping our first round of sunglasses, we needed a photoshoot to show them being worn out there in the real world.  For this we looked to somewhere only a few hours from sunny Glasgow, Madrid.

A 3 hour flight later we're on the ground, on the Metro, then at our apartment in the very colourful Malasana neighbourhood. Our mission.. to work with 10 lovely Madrid natives with whom we'd organised to meet over a 3 day period and get a variety of photo content for the likes of advertising, social media and the website.

Things we learned:

-Madrid can get HOT.

-We're a lot more organised that we gave ourselves credit for.

-Becoming night owls to edit photos leaves us seriously exhausted on returning to the UK.

-Cabify is the Spanish Uber and is rather good.

-Ross doesn't like the heat.