How the Oakley Romeo sparked the X-Metal movement and revolutionized how Sunglasses are created today!
History and Background
In 1996, Oakley announced its first model in the X Metal Collection, then named the Oscar. Today we know those sunglasses by a different name – the Oakley Romeo.
The initial release of the Romeo was delayed to the point that founder Jim Jannard stated he would voluntarily forfeit his 1996 incentive bonus of approximately $1.0 million if the Romeo did not ship by the end of February. On February 28th, 1997, the Romeo had its public release at the then partially completed Oakley Headquarters. The retail price? A cool $250.
Despite the star-studded launch, attended by Olympians, and various athletes, the Romeo was not an initial success. For the first year or two, it struggled commercially. After the release of the Oakley Juliet and the help of...
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