Peter Duncan uses local hardwoods to create his wood-framed glasses

WILMINGTON -- From his studio in his Bayshore home, craftsman and carpenter Peter Duncan is making what he says is the first line of wooden-framed sunglasses to hit the East Coast.

Duncan launched a Kickstarter campaign last week to crowdfund his new line of polarized shades. Those who invest in his new venture get a pair of the handmade sunglasses.

The New York native, who has called Wilmington home for the last eight years, started Legacy Eyewear earlier this year. Duncan started an initial line of sunglasses under his brand The Wood Studio, where he has created custom cabinetry, tables and even skateboards.

"The brainchild of all this was we have a creek right over here and I have lost probably hundreds of dollars of sunglasses in there," he said, pointing across the street from his studio. "I came across someone creating wood frames and put two and two together that wood floats. So I made a prototype and the rest is history."

The idea of floating sunglasses, Duncan said, will spare locals who utilize our waterways from diving in after their sunglasses when they fall off.

Using only natural materials handmade in his shop, Duncan said each pair of sunglasses in the new line uses a wood from a different state on the East Coast. He uses a video game controller to maneuver a computerized cut of each pair.

There are glasses carved domestic hardwoods from walnut trees in North Carolina, Georgia black cherry, Pennsylvania oak, New York maple and Virginia black locusts. And each style is named after a signer of the Declaration of Independence from the state the hardwood is from. For example, The Hoopers are the frame style carved in American black walnut from North Carolina after signer William Hooper.

"We named the styles after those who created a legacy in our nation, and we want people to create their own legacy while wearing our eyewear," Duncan said.

His initial line of wood-framed glasses can be found in several locations around town, including Going Local, The Wonder Shop and Iron Beverage in Carolina Beach.

Duncan is crowd funding the new line rather than launch it into retail so he can raise funds simultaneously with production. Eventually Duncan hopes to hire local craftsmen to help with production.

Instead of a typical click-to-buy store online, those interested in purchasing a pair of wood-framed sunglasses can invest in Legacy on Kickstarter. In return for their investment they receive a pair of sunglasses before Christmas.

A portion of each sale also will be donated to the Cape Fear Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

Reporter Ashley Morris can be reached at 910-343-2096 or Ashley.Morris@StarNewsOnline.com.