Ray Ban - History
RAY-BAN: THE HISTORY OF THE TOP-SELLING EYEWEAR BRAND WORLDWIDE
Throughout its seven-and-a-half decades, Ray-Ban has been instrumental in pushing boundaries in music and the arts, forging the rise of celebrity culture, and creating the power of the rock and movie stars to influence fashion. From James Dean to Audrey Hepburn to Michael Jackson, Ray-Ban has proven indispensible for cultural icons who don’t want to be seen - but definitely want to be noticed. Ray-Ban has left an indelible mark on culture history. 1930s: All about Aviation As new airplanes allowed people to fly higher and farther, many US Air Force pilots were reporting that the glare from the sun was giving them headaches and altitude sickness. A new kind of glasses was introduced with green lenses that could cut out the glare without obscuring vision, and the Ray-Ban brand was born. This new anti-glare eyewear went on sale to the public in 1937. The original glasses featured a plastic frame with the now classic Aviator shape. The sunglasses were remodeled with a metal frame the following year and rebranded as the Ray-Ban Aviator. It wasn’t long before the popularity of Ray-Ban spread from pilots to anyone with an outdoor lifestyle. In 1938, the Ray-Ban Shooter was launched in both the green lens and the pale yellow Kalichrome lens, which sharpens detail and minimizes haze by filtering out blue light, making it ideal for misty conditions. The “cigarette-holder” middle circle, designed to free the hands of the shooter, is the signature of this icon. Ray-Ban continued to expand its catalog - and customer base - with the launch of the Ray-Ban Outdoorsman model the following year. Originally called “Skeet Glass” and designed for specific groups such as hunting, shooting and fishing enthusiasts, the top bar and temple end pieces have been covered through years with different materials, including nacre and calf leather. 1940s: Aviation and More World War II saw American Air Force pilots continue to rely on
Throughout its seven-and-a-half decades, Ray-Ban has been instrumental in pushing boundaries in music and the arts, forging the rise of celebrity culture, and creating the power of the rock and movie stars to influence fashion. From James Dean to Audrey Hepburn to Michael Jackson, Ray-Ban has proven indispensible for cultural icons who don’t want to be seen - but definitely want to be noticed. Ray-Ban has left an indelible mark on culture history. 1930s: All about Aviation As new airplanes allowed people to fly higher and farther, many US Air Force pilots were reporting that the glare from the sun was giving them headaches and altitude sickness. A new kind of glasses was introduced with green lenses that could cut out the glare without obscuring vision, and the Ray-Ban brand was born. This new anti-glare eyewear went on sale to the public in 1937. The original glasses featured a plastic frame with the now classic Aviator shape. The sunglasses were remodeled with a metal frame the following year and rebranded as the Ray-Ban Aviator. It wasn’t long before the popularity of Ray-Ban spread from pilots to anyone with an outdoor lifestyle. In 1938, the Ray-Ban Shooter was launched in both the green lens and the pale yellow Kalichrome lens, which sharpens detail and minimizes haze by filtering out blue light, making it ideal for misty conditions. The “cigarette-holder” middle circle, designed to free the hands of the shooter, is the signature of this icon. Ray-Ban continued to expand its catalog - and customer base - with the launch of the Ray-Ban Outdoorsman model the following year. Originally called “Skeet Glass” and designed for specific groups such as hunting, shooting and fishing enthusiasts, the top bar and temple end pieces have been covered through years with different materials, including nacre and calf leather. 1940s: Aviation and More World War II saw American Air Force pilots continue to rely on