Anyone who has ever stood in a forest glade and seen the sunlight filtering in through a velvety green canopy, dappling the ground with patches of glittering gold, can testify to the beauty of nature.

The world of fashion is obsessed with beauty, so it makes perfect sense to bring elements of nature into fashion and design. Acai-berry beads, turquoise stones, and hemp are only some of the natural resources that are used to great effect in jewellery and fashion design today.

We Wood is a design company that has embraced a truly natural aesthetic, producing stylish wooden accessories out of recycled timbers and off-cuts. Their on-trend products represent a huge stride in sustainable design, as well as being a unique statement in personal style.

Melbourne-based web retailer Branched bring the sustainable designs of We Wood to the Australian market, describing their online store as a concept that sprung up on a sunny Australia Day BBQ. This laidback but earnest ethos characterises the site, which offers eco-friendly designer items for Aussie trendsetters.

“Australians pride themselves on being unique, passionate, ahead of the game and nurturing everything they hold dear to their hearts. Sustainable fashion is just one way many Aussies are shifting towards ‘doing their bit’,” Branched explain.

While it is expensive to be sustainable, Branched place a lot of importance on making these environmentally-friendly products available.

“We try to bring people products that are high fashion and high trend but that are eco-friendly, are a sustainable option and are offered at a competitive price.”

The designs on offer via Branched are unique and eminently covetable, which is obviously a contributing factor to the success of the online store.

Couturing spoke with We Wood to find out about their divine wooden watch designs, and what makes the design team tick.

With a focus on the fusion of environmental sustainability and current trends, We Wood design watches that are androgynous and chic.

The watches are made from 100% natural wood, including Maple, Blackwood, a brown “Red Wing Celtis” wood, an army green “Guaiaco” wood and Indian Rosewood, all of which is recycled from industrial operations waste.

Collaborating with American Forests in the US and “Trees for the Future” internationally,We Wood re-plants a tree for every watch sold, a further contribution to the sustainable elements of the design and manufacture process. Described as “an avant-garde approach to sophisticated sustainability”, the We Wood designs dwell where the city meets the forest.

We Wood give the earth a big hug with their design efforts; declaring: “This planet is our only home and we need to take better care of it.”

To further this aim, a portion of all We Wood profits is donated toward the global reforestation of native trees in their damaged ecosystems. “The formula is simple, yet effective: for every (watch) purchased, a tree is planted,” We Wood explain.