Oakley Sunglasses

Oakley is an eyewear company renowned for state of the art Oakley sunglasses and exclusive eyewear for athletes. With headquarters based in Foothill Ranch in the US, Oakley has stores located worldwide including UK, Europe, Australia, Japan and the Middle East. Oakley was started by Jim Jannard in 1975, when he first began selling hand grips called ’the Oakley grip’ to riders at motocross events. These grips were different from earlier grip systems in design and shape. They were the first grips to be ergonomically shaped to suit the human hand. The grips gained instant popularity amongst riders. However, the grips did not receive much exposure beyond the motocross circle as they were mostly hidden under the palm of the rider. So in 1980, Jim introduced the O-frame goggles with the characteristic Oakley ’O’ logo inscribed on the straps, so that admirers could recognize the brand.

1984 saw the release of Oakley’s Factory Pilot, plastic Oakley sunglasses that retained the original O-Frame. They came with detachable lenses and were hot favourites among professional cyclists including Tour de France winners, Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. Oakley eventually introduced successful lines of designer eyewear including the Blades, Razor Blades, Frogskins and the Mumbos which later became the M-Frame series.

Oakley sunglasses have made their mark in Hollywood, appearing in blockbuster actions films like Mission Impossible 2, Black Hawk Down and the X-men series. The X-metal/Ruby Iridium Juliet worn by Cyclops in the X-men series is a revolutionary creation of Oakley and their Oakley sunglasses.

Apart from eyewear, Oakley also makes watches, apparels, bags, backpacks, shoes, prescription spectacles and other accessories.