Watching R. Kelly sport diamond-studded sunglasses in a music video inspired Jamal Robinson.

"I took a pair of glasses, went to the hobby store, and bought Swarovski crystals," he said. He wore his bedazzled shades everywhere and got a lot of attention. Some people would even try them on.

But the Fort Wayne native sought a larger audience for his eyewear. He would sneak backstage at concerts and persuaded rapper Soulja Boy, known for the 2007 hit "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," to wear a pair.

"He wore the glasses for a year plus, everywhere," Robinson said. "It gave me confidence and I kept chugging along."

Robinson has been making custom sunglasses since his freshman year at the University of Central Florida. He left Florida in 2008 to return to Indiana, where he made his sunglasses on a kitchen table, but never gave up his dream of starting his own business.

That dream came true when he founded DESIAR in Fort Wayne in 2011. Robinson says the company, which employs 3, is the first to manufacture eyewear in Indiana.

His "Hoosier" sunglass made in Huntertown, Ind., sports an all-wood frame utilizing cherry wood harvested from a farm on the East Coast. It retails for $125 and is the first product in the #MadeInIndiana line.His sunglasses have a unique look. Most are made of wood and acetate and are manufactured overseas. But his recently launched #MadeInIndiana collection is made right in the Summit City.

"I'm always trying to think of what type of materials can we use that are out of the norm," Robinson said. "Wood's a really cool medium."

Robinson also pointed out that his sunglasses appeal to people who are earth- and eco-friendly, because they use what he called "ethically sourced wood" — meaning it wasn't chopped down in an endangered forest.

Robinson's company's name is a throwback to his early days of designing, when people would take his sunglasses off his head to try them on. "People really desired them and I was really influenced by European fashion, so I put a twist on it, called it DESIAR," he said.

DESIAR has been able to distribute its sunglasses through partnerships with brands like Luxottica, the world's largest eyewear company; TJX, which owns T.J. Maxx; and Little Burgundy, which is based in Canada.

For now, Hoosier frames can only be bought on DESIAR's website: www.desiar.com/. Starting next year, they will be available for purchase at local retailers in Fort Wayne, and Robinson also is looking at the Indianapolis market.

His frames showcase the "Hoosier mentality," he said.

"I'd say it's resilience, hard work, never giving up," Robinson said. "I think the Midwest always gets a rap of 'there's not cool stuff here, we're always late to the game,' but we're not..

"We have a lot of cool stuff, we have a lot going on, we got a good vibe from small cities to metropolitan areas like Indianapolis."

Now, Robinson says, DESIAR is spreading the word about good things that come from Indiana.

It's "bigger than us," he said.

Not only do customers get a piece of Indiana with their Hoosier sunglasses, but Robinson says he hopes "to motivate and inspire other entrepreneurs who think they have to leave Indiana to accomplish their hopes and dreams — that it's possible to stay here."

Follow Star reporter Gabby Ferreira on Twitter: @Its_GabbyF.

#BlackModelsMatter: Indy artist, model, makes statement at NYFW

Holiday Gift Guide Indy 2015: Hoosier-centric gifts for everyone on your list