Devan Dowd

With sunny months hopefully here to stay, you may be looking to refresh your sunglasses game, or maybe (if you’re like me), you somehow misplaced last season’s glasses & need replacements to keep your eyes healthy & safe! If you identify with any of the above, I would lean you towards the Rowan Polarized lifestyle sunglasses by Dragon Alliance.

Dragon Rowan Polarized Lifestyle Sunglasses Review

After meeting with Dragon at this past winter’s Outdoor Media Alliance (OMA) tradeshow, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to take these glasses to the streets! And I will say they have not disappointed. New to their collection, the Rowan Polarized sunglasses are Dragon’s latest everyday sunglasses, meticulously crafted from premium acetate with unparalleled craftsmanship. If you’re looking to elevate your style with eye-catching colors enhanced by Lumalens color optimization & cutting-edge design elements, without sacrificing functionality, these may be your choice! 

I am wearing a medium, in the Shiny Sap Green color, with Grey Lumalens Smoke Polarized lenses. A brief dimension snapshot can be found here, including a virtual “try-these-on” to see if you think they meet your sunglasses style preference. 

 

Born out of a surf-town garage in Capo Beach CA, DRAGON has been driven by its love for the sea, snow and land. Soon, DRAGON’s popularity and distribution expanded from Florida to Hawaii, reaching as far as Australia and Europe. Its technical design and rider-inspired styles have propelled DRAGON to become much more than the leading eyewear and accessories brand in the active lifestyle market. DRAGON symbolizes a quest for pushing our own boundaries while keeping the impact our adventures have on land and sea in sight. Not only is DRAGON recognized for its exceptional craftsmanship, they are driven to protect our home planet on their quest to be the best eyewear company out there. 

 

DRAGON continues to not only disrupt the status quo, but move with the current of more environmentally-conscious products and practices. The eco-friendly, ethically-sourced PLANT-BASED RESIN collection is made from sustainably grown castor beans; a cleaner, gentler alternative to traditional petroleum-based products. Our newest addition, UPCYCLED, repurposes single-use plastic bottles—five in every frame—for optical and sun styles that keep harmful plastic away from our landfills and oceans. We, along with our teams of surfers, snowboarders and skiers, are committed to reducing that which threatens to limit our views through the use of more sustainable materials, design and manufacturing.

You can learn more about Dragon Alliance’s story, technology & sustainability work here. 

So – what stood out the most to me about these glasses?

 

1. 1. Premium Acetate Framing – Solid & sturdy, these glasses have been meticulously crafted with a premium acetate construction, with a precise blend of durability & style. Although I typically prefer the more lightweight sunglasses design, the Rowan has a distinguished presence when you put them on, making you feel confident in the durability of these frames. (Which is a requirement for me, given I have a track record of breaking things…) 

• Polarized & lumalens Color Optimized Lenses – Living in the mile-high city, I have quickly realized the importance of skin & eye protection on a daily basis with over 300+ days of sunshine in the Colorado Mountains. And let me tell you – that mile-high sun exposure is REAL. With that, I am incredibly grateful for the polarized lenses that are the signature of these Rowan glasses, providing 100% UV Protection. Not to mention, the Lumalens Color Optimized lenses help you experience vivid colors & visual clarity like never before. The color palette these lenses bring are impressive as they don’t alter the natural beauty of the world around you that I’ve noticed with other types of polarized lenses

1. Unparalleled Style, for Every One – Thanks in part to the unisex design, these make the perfect sunglasses for anyone in your family. This has come in handy as Jeremy & I go on adventures and we need to take turns with who gets to wear these. Add in the metal foil work. With three beautiful styles to choose from (leopard print, black, or my favorite – Shiny Sap Green) these glasses can be your go-to, all-in-one glasses that take you from morning coffee & errands, to midday hikes & trail runs, to wedding season & BBQs! (You WILL be getting compliments from strangers on the streets with these!)

The only small pain point I have with these glasses is, although stylish, the metal foil word mark logo on the temples can create a momentary blindspot when looking in your peripherals. Again, nothing major, but this was one thing I had to adjust to when wearing them in the car. Not enough of a flaw to prevent me from wearing them day-to-day, but something to note as you get used to mixing these glasses into your rotation. 

 

The Polarized Rowan sunglasses partnered with the great brand behind Dragon Alliance have helped make these my top-of-mind sunglasses, and I am excited to see what other AOTDs these accompany me on moving forward! 

Devan Dowd

Growing up in Massachusetts, Devan has been an athlete all her life. Starting at the age of 4 as a competitive gymnast, she learned quickly the joy that comes from hard work, determination, and a jammed packed schedule. Eventually, gymnastics led to competitive lacrosse, which resulted in her growing some wings and heading to the PNW to pursue a DI College Lacrosse opportunity at the University of Oregon.

 

On the single off-day each week, she quickly learned to see Mother Earth as her playground and wanted to use every second of free time to find chase AOTDs (Adventures of the Days). These AOTDs were the inspiration for her blog Dabbling in Traveling & youtube channel. 

 

From waterfalls, to snow covered mountains, to sand dune hikes – one thing was certain, something always went awry on these AOTDs. But hey, memories were always made! Not only was UO an incredible college experience, Oregon sparked her love for the outdoors & traveling across the country for games helped introduce her to Colorado in 2014. Staring up at the Flatirons on CU Boulder’s campus, she knew one day she would call Colorado home! 

 

After returning to the east coast upon graduation, Devan’s heart never stopped longing to live in Colorado one day. But luckily the pandemic brought a newfound acceptance for remote work and in Nov. 2021 her dream came true!

 

By day, Devan is a Product Manager at Capital One. By afternoon, she is a personal trainer, coaching group Crossfit classes at Axistence Athletics (the best Adventure gym you will ever find!). By evening, she pours her heart into nonprofit work, specifically focused on driving sustainable change in Haiti through the Brace for Impact 46 organization (Fun fact – she has been traveling to Haiti since 2015, accumulating 7 trips and 7 months of living down there!). 

 

Brace for Impact works in Northern Haiti to provide sustainable, multifaceted approaches to support child development, education, medical care, job development, and implementation of clean water & sanitation across the community, which touches 40,000 people each day! (Want to learn more? Check out their website www.braceforimpact46.com )

 

As her friends would tell you (despite trying), Devan does not slow down and is always trying to fit AOTDs into each open moment. Whether it be hiking, paddleboarding, road-biking, running, Crossfitting, weight-lifting, snowboarding or simply exploring different parts of CO with her favorite furry friend Bailey & her husband Jeremy, it’s safe to say Devan has found her “Home” here in Colorado!

 

Fun fact – Devan had reconstructive hip surgery in 2016 (actually called a Periacetabular Osteotomy… but that’s a tongue twister). After a 22 month recovery period, she proved doctors wrong, returned to play her senior of lacrosse continues to use this experience as motivation to encourage everyone she interacts with to truly treat movement as a gift and to never take it for granted. With that being said, to keep her body active, she needs to make sure her gear can support her so she can remain #PAOStrong!

 

Devan is excited to join the Engearment team!