Do you really know the history of Oakley Sunglasses? We’ll break down how Oakley came to be, the acquisition by Luxottica and more!
Oakley is one of the largest sunglass brands in the world. In this guide, we’ll detail the history from the first Oakleys to their Luxottica purchase and how Oakley’s history shapes the sunglasses you’re wearing.
Unobtainium and The Oakley Grip
In 1975, James (“Jim”) Jannard, an avid motocross fan, wanted to increase the grips on motocross bikes. At the time motocross handles were covered with plastic which became slippery, especially when wet or muddy. Looking to solve this problem Jannard created a unique rubber material he coined Unobtainium in the back of his trunk.
Using Unobtainium, Jim created the “The Oakley Grip”. Including a cam-shaped design and octopus tread pattern, this was a revolutionary Motorcross grip. This technology and subsequent designs of the Oakley Grip II, F1 Grip System, and B-1B Guidance System are the inspiration for the motocross and cycling handles we have today.
Fun fact: The name “Oakley” came from Jannard’s dog at the time, an English Setter named Oakley Anne.
Eventually, Jim “The Mad-scientist” Jannard wanted to expand further, landing on eyewear – a field he would ultimately revolutionize!
Hitting the Track and Slopes
As the first foray into eyewear, Oakley released The Oakley Goggle. With only a few colorways available, it was originally designed for dirt biking and motocross, leveraging the market their grips had built. They soon followed up with the O Frame and Pro Frame.
Shortly after in 1983, Oakley made the logical step into Ski Goggles with the O Frame. Leveraging similar designs from the motocross lines, this was Oakley’s first expansion beyond motocross.
The First Oakley Sunglasses
In 1984, Oakley released the O Wing grip, which would become its last original grip. This period began Oakley’s focus and efforts on eyewear. Starting with their first pair, the Oakley Lite, followed shortly after by the Factory Pilot Eyeshades.
Both pairs leveraged large visor-like lenses and full-frame designs made specifically for sports. These began Oakley’s climb to eyewear superiority.
At this point, Oakley was completely focused on sports. From grips to its early cycling / running sunglasses, it was building top-tier equipment. But that was all about to change…
Original Frogskins and the Introduction of Lifestyle Sunglasses
In 1985, Oakley released the Frogskins – their first lifestyle frame on the market. A competitor to the already popular Ray-ban Wayfarer, they were the first Oakleys to feature a dual-lens design. Prior to this, all frames featured visor lenses as mentioned above.
Blades and Mumbo
Along with the Frogskins, the 1980s brought in new innovative sports frames from Oakley. In 1985, they released the Blades, one of the pioneers of sport-specific shield lenses.
The Blades were soon followed up by the Mumbo in 1989. Introduced in a very limited run these would eventually become the M Frame (short for Mumbo Frame). Through the 90’s and even today, the M frame has continued to be one of Oakley’s most popular sports pairs. They especially have garnered a following in military and first responders, with ballistic versions available plus significant discounts through Oakley Standard Issue.
In the early 90s Oakley dominated the market with sport pairs like the M Frame, Minutes, and Racing Jackets alongside the wire frames. It wasn’t really until the introduction of the X-Metal that the idea lifestyle sunglasses began to take over.
IPO and Luxottica Acquisition
In 1995, Oakley raised $230 Million during its IPO on the NYSE. Then only a year later Oakley ended up in a pricing dispute with Luxottica, who at the time was already the largest eyewear manufacturer and retailer. Luxottica ultimately pulled Oakley’s from the shelves of its stores including SunglassHut, Lenscrafters, and more.
In 2001 and in response to the Luxottica dispute, Oakley began purchasing several eyewear brands and retailers. The goal was to become independent from Luxottica on their own. During this time founded Jim Jannard also began buying more stock increasing his personal holdings to 63% of Oakley.
Ultimately on June 21, 2007, the Oakley world changed forever when Luxottica purchased the company for over $2 Billion. Check out the fantastic 60 minutes interview below breaking down exactly how powerful Luxottica is these days.
Introduction of X-Metal
In 1997, Oakley introduced the first X-Metal sunglasses with the Romeo. Jim Jannard who believed in disruptive design throughout Oakley’s history, wanted to create a pair of sunglasses out of titanium. In his own words from our Q&A on the forum with Mr.Jannard:
I was a big fan of titanium and no one had done Ti eyewear. I thought that combining Ti with sculpture would be a really great thing.
There were no factories doing what we wanted… so we bought a golf club casting company in Nevada and converted it to manufacturing Ti eyewear. Carlos was the single person that most contributed to this effort.
We were told by many that what we wanted to do was impossible. The idea of casting long and narrow parts (like the ear stems) was next to impossible. We ignored the warnings.
The next thing we had to contend with was making rigid pieces and putting them together in a flexible package. We used unobtanium “glue” to put everything together. This was one of the most difficult and wonderful programs ever done at Oakley.
Thank Peter, Hans, Lek, Colin, Chris, and many others for what is now one of the most collectible Oakley programs ever conceived.
Behind the Scenes at Oakley: Q&A with Founder Jim Jannard
The Romeo was followed soon after by the Mars, XX and eventually the Oakley Juliet among others.
These X-Metal sunglasses feature primarily brushed and polished titanium alloy frames which highlighted the “mad scientist” era. X-Metals were designed and manufactured at Oakley’s Nevada “bunker” factory using a laborious process. Ignoring re-releases, the X-Metal era primarily lasted from 1997 to 2012, when the X-Squared was retired.
Modern day Oakley and Prizm Lenses
Many Oakley collectors see the IPO as the turning point in Oakley history. Eventually, over time the X-Metals and disruptive designs faded. Obviously, Jim Jannard is no longer in charge, though the company still retains their Foothill Ranch bunker and innovative culture.
When asked how he is still involved with Oakley, Jim Jannard responded:
Oakley is my business daughter. After 32 years she met and married an Italian guy. Apparently, looking at the stock price, he is taking really good care of her.
I also have another business daughter named RED. Being a seven year old, she obviously needs more of my attention while she is growing up. But I love both of my business daughters very much.
Behind the Scenes at Oakley: Q&A with Founder Jim Jannard
In past years, Oakley has begun re-releasing fan favorite pairs like the Juliet, Eye Jacket, Over The Top and More!
Recently we’ve seen even more innovation from Oakley with their lenses. In 2015, Oakley Prizm Lenses were released and changed sports optics forever. These lenses are designed to enhance contrast with tuned versions of lenses offered for numerous sports. Over the last few years, Oakley has now pushed Prizm lenses from sports to everyday life. You can now find the lenses featured in almost every new lifestyle frames like the Savitar or Sylas.
Final Thoughts
Oakley’s history has been full of twists and turns. And there are plenty of other frames, shoes, apparel, innovations, and features that dictate Oakley’s history over the years. But ultimately all of this history and more has led to the sunglasses on your face.
As we look to the future, we hope to see the return of disruptive design and innovation that piques the interest of collectors!
To learn more about the origins of Oakley, check out our Q&A with Oakley Founder Jim Jannard. Mr. Jannard explains how Oakley came to be, his inspiration for the X-Metals, and even his favorite Oakleys of all time.
So what’s your favorite piece of Oakley history? Or do you know any Oakley history we didn’t include? Join the largest online Oakley community and let us know in the comments below!
