In the world of sunglasses, is there a pair more synonymous than Ray Ban Aviators? We can wait while you figure out your answer… Really, there’s nothing more effortlessly cool and iconic than Ray Ban sunglasses, which have no gone beyond their flagship design to introduce a range of different shades and prescription frames. But how did Ray Ban frames become the titan of sunglasses that they are today?
This article will offer you an abridged Ray Ban history, so you can get a little more familiar with the brand’s origins and how it managed to capture the imagination of the public (and the world’s filmmakers) for so many years.
The military origins of Ray Ban sunglasses (Aviators)
The first steps of Ray Ban sunglasses came when the business was still primarily known by its original name, Bausch & Lomb. This company, at the time a modest New York operation, was approached during the late 1920s by Lt. General John MacCready with a brief: create a pair of glasses that would combat sun glare for US Army Air Corps pilots.
The prototype they handed in in 1936 featured a lightweight, gold-plated frame and “ray-banning” anti-glare convex green lenses in teardrop shapes. Ray-Bans were born. While initially designed for wearing under a pilot’s headgear, Ray-Ban glasses were soon released commercially. Since then, Aviators have been remarketed as outdoor glasses, along with being often imitated by other glasses and sunglasses brands.
The introduction of Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses
After Ray-Ban sunglasses showed they could dominate the world of metal frames, they turned their heads to another groundbreaking market avenue. They moved away from metal frames alone in 1952, introducing their game-changing Wayfarer sunglasses. Raymond Stegeman, Ray-Ban mainstay, designed the Wayfarer as one of the original plastic-framed sets of shades, adopting thick temples and a more rectangular, angled shape that somehow encapsulated intellectual cool and teenage rebellion all at once.
Appearances in films like Rebel Without a Cause and Breakfast at Tiffany’s showed that these shades were super versatile, while also demonstrating the suitability of Ray-Ban frames for ladies.
The dip and resurgence of Ray-Ban sunglasses
By the late 1970s, there were plenty of new kids on the block when it came to sunglasses. Aviators and Wayfarers were regularly copied, and the market simply wasn’t in a state to be dominated by one name anymore. However, the 1980s were a big decade for Ray-Bans , as they pioneered product placement in films – especially those starring Tom Cruise who wore Wayfarers in Risky Business and Aviators in Top Gun.
Other notable appearances included:
- The Blues Brothers
- Michael Jackson Music Videos
- Miami Vice
- Moonlighting
This extended through the 80s to the 90s, cementing Ray-Ban sunglasses as an undeniable force in pop culture.
Change of ownership to the present
The turn of the millennium saw Ray-Bans change hands to be owned by Luxottica Group, the Italian firm responsible for manufacturing many of the world’s top glasses and sunglasses brands. Under their stewardship, Ray-Ban’s title was attached to a range of new and exciting designs, including Clubmaster, Erika and Justin sunglasses, all while keeping Aviators and Wayfarers at the forefront of the brand identity. Now you can even get prescription Ray-Ban spectacles, without any focus on reducing sun glare.
They’ve gone from the leading brand in sunglasses to an immovable pillar in the eyewear world as a whole, still seen on celebrities, soldiers and civillians alike. If you’re one of those people who refers to Ray-Bans in the same way you use the word Google or Hoover, there’s good reason. They’ve been killing it for years!
