Oakley – From Garage Start-Up to Ultimate Eyewear Brand

By Dominik | b | Comments are Closed | 22 May, 2020 | 0

Curious to learn about the history of Oakley and discover what makes them so successful, such as their unique eyewear technology “PRIZM”? Then you’ve come to the right place, read on!

The history of Oakley begins in 1975, with 300 dollars – this small sum was all James Jannard had to start his company. When the one-man-business opened doors (or more accurately: garage doors), there was a long path ahead of him to make it to today’s legendary Oakley sunglasses and prescription Glasses. The brand with the “O” in the logo first became famous for its bicycle accessories. Jannard sold BMX bike handles at Motorcross events that, when damp with rain or sweat, would actually get easier to grip instead of slippery. Since the sale of these first products from the boot of his car was going well, the young founder was encouraged to expand his business.

As such, five years after laying the foundation stone, Jannard produced the first Oakley Eyewear product, but that was still far away from the lifestyle and fashion industry. As protective glasses with the name O-Frame, they did serve as the inspiration for the world-recognised logo, which today represents the high-quality sunglasses with modern designs. Although Oakley’s ascent to global brand has always been stable, Jannard owes his breakthrough to three-time winner of the Tour de France, Greg Lemond, who brought the Oakley name to the world through his races. In the following years, models such as the Oakley Radar Ev Path or the legendary Oakley Holbrook were created, which then every athlete wanted to wear, professional or not.

For those practising high-speed sports, the Oakley Wind Jacket glasses will not disappoint. This veritable windshield delivers the best protection against headwinds and draughts – and is a must for every cyclist, whether you’re blasting along dirt tracks, racing the Tour de France or enjoying countryside lanes. As well as the physical protection, this flagship design among sports glasses also offers UV-protection and other special features thanks to the Oakley-developed PRIZM-technology. The PRIZM lens enhances colour and contrast so you can see details more clearly, which is especially important when you are travelling at high speed and want to maintain performance.

Oakley sunglasses are of course also suitable for more relaxed sports such as fishing. In addition to the PRIZM lens technology, other lens properties play a major role when you view water. Polarized lenses, which you can find in the Oakley Split Shot as well as other models, combat excessive glare caused by focused light reflecting off the surface of the water. This filter relieves your eyes when you have to watch the water patiently waiting for a catch. And if things get a little choppy on the boat after a fish has taken bait, a leach attached to each arm of the frame prevents your sunglasses from falling in the water.

Oakley wouldn’t be one of the most significant eyewear brands if they didn’t also offer prescription glasses. Produced with the same high quality standards as the Oakley sunglasses, these are in no way inferior to their counterparts. At Edel-Optics, Oakley prescription glasses are even available with the original Oakley lenses. So, when you buy Oakley glasses with prescription lenses, you can be sure that you’ll enjoy the highest quality from the frame to the lenses. Now all you have to do is choose a pair. Our secret tip: the Oakley Scavenger