• Take 30 seconds to register your free account to access deals, post topics, and view exclusive content!

    Register Today

    Join the largest Oakley Forum on the web!

Oakley Safe House/Safehouse Knowledge Base

kjcolumbo

I should Work at Oakley
Premium Member
Lifetime Member
Hi all!

I was talking to some of the members over at O-Review about Safe House frames, and we are going to add separate entries for each model into the database. As of now, it will probably focus on London 2012 and Sochi 2014, but might also go back to Vancouver 2010 depending on how my research pans out. There’s a few threads on there with some Safe House info sprinkled throughout, but I wanted to create a Safe House knowledge base thread.

Feel free to add additional info below, and I’ll work on keeping this original post updated as much as I can. Please be sure to include links to articles and videos as you find them. Add any pics from your collections below too, and I'm going to work on adding some pictures from some of the other threads.


Olympic Safe Houses​

As far as the Olympics are concerned, Safe Houses were set up outside of the Olympic Villages to give athletes a place to go to grab some food, relax, celebrate and get away from everything to unwind. Summer games were the largest, but Oakley did run some Safe Houses at other events like Ironman Kona, World MTB championships, etc. Outside of the Olympics, Oakley usually did some sort of commemorative apparel that was only given to the athletes, and sometimes launched new products. For example, the Fast Jacket was launched at an Ironman Kona.

Atlanta 1996
Atlanta was the first Safe House Oakley created. (per London Safe House article in Wired Magazine. "Eyewear giant Oakley has been running its Athlete Safehouse since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when the company rented a house in the suburbs to host casual barbecues with competitors."

Atlanta was the first appearance of the Oakley backpack (I believe the Icon). They made an exclusive backpack for the athletes, which evolved into a larger version that is sold today.

Frames that were given to athletes at the games were Pro M Frames (no special colors, released to the public in 1997), but Ato Boldon's debut of the Over The Top is what stole the show.

Sydney 2000

Sydney Games 1.jpg
Sydney Games 2.jpg

These keyrings were given to athletes and employees at the Sydney 2000 games to access the Safe House. The number on the back was used to set up transportation from the Bondi Junction Station to the Safe House on Bondi Beach. Oakley partnered with Volvo Australia, who provided the vehicles for the shuttle.

Athens 2004
From a former Oakley employee, Athens was the first time that Oakley gave out gold, silver, and bronze watches to winning athletes.

Beijing 2008
An umbrella that was given out to athletes at the Safe House.
IMG_0907.jpeg


Vancouver 2010
Here is a video from the Vancouver Safe House.

Also, an article from Vanity Fair. Unfortunately, most of the pictures are gone. Not sure if we can grab them using the Way Back Machine.

London 2012
Article from Wired Magazine also linked above.

An umbrella that was given out to athletes at the London Safe House.
IMG_0908.jpeg


Rio 2016
Article from Men's Health of the Safe House. Mark Cavendish has on EX Zeros in Green Fade.
Article from Yahoo Finance with a slide show. It shows Jawbreakers, Radar EV, Flak 2.0 in Green Fade in a range of Prizm lenses.
A video of the Safe House.

Safe House Exclusive Sunglasses

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver 2010 is one of the first events that we know of where athletes could get custom glasses made. From the video, Jawbones, Radar, Commit, and Flak Jackets all appear in what look like OCP colors with a gloss finish. From the video, I’m not sure if the Flak Jackets had the Oakley logo across the bridge removed or not. By no means is my research exhaustive, but most pics I see are athletes wearing Radars, Jawbones/Racing Jackets and M Frames.

London 2012

London 2012 is where Safe House glasses look to be unique over OCP offerings with matte finishes. From a former Oakley employee, these matte finishes were painted by an outside vendor to avoid any disruptions to regular production. The colors were selected to match the colors of the London Underground System, but also from Munich '72 posters.

From a former Oakley employee:
"I don’t think we named [the colors], but they took on the names of each of the London Underground lines, so, for example, the Grey became “Jubilee Grey”, etc. I also think we added in a few brighter colors that were inspired by the Munich 1972 posters. Originally I had the 2 concepts, and once we saw the samples of both concepts, we could decide which was cooler - so went with both. Originally, I tried to have some of the colors incorporated in the Oakley Custom program, but if I recall correctly, there were some feasibility issues and future warranty concerns."
london-underground-downloadable-map-2012.jpg


Safe House London Colors.jpeg



Safe House Radar Colors.jpg

My take on how the lines match up to names provided by @BoostBear from the original Safe House post.
A -Powder Blue (Tar Heel Blue) - Munich
B - Infrared - Central
C - Pale Pink (Coral) - Hammersmtih & City
D - Dark Pink - Metropolitan
E - Dark Green - District
F - Blue (Smurf) - Victoria
G - Dark Grey (Charcoal) - Jubillee
H - Light Yellow (Lemon Peel-ish) - Circle
I - Mint (Celeste) - Waterloo & City

1 -Black - Northern
2 - Light Grey (Dove Grey) - Munich
3 - Bright Green (Retina) - Munich
4 - Spring Green - London Tramlink
5 - Chalk White - Munich
6 - Dark Yellow (Yellow-Orange) - Bakerloo
7 - Blood Orange - London Overground
8 - Dark Navy - Piccadilly
9 - Neon Pink - Munich

Limited Edition London microbags were also given out at the Safe House. Left and center bags show the front and back of the London 2012 bag.
London bags.jpg


The original Safe House thread

Models offered were Radarlock (Regular and XL), Racing Jackets, and Fast Jackets. It has been confirmed that M Frames were not included. It was the launch year for the Radarlock, so they were pushing them with athletes, but they also had the Radar available for athletes that might not want to try the new version. Estimates from a former Oakley employee are that 500 of each color were made of the Radarlock, 250 in the Fast Jacket and Racing Jacket. They were not sure how many Radars were painted up, as they were a backup model for the Radarlocks, but they are probably along the lines of the Fast and Racing jackets, if not rarer. An article From Fashion Office mentions 11 models in 18 colors, with Radarlock models shown in the picture.

Lenses were also unique. Lenses that would typically have Oakley across the bridge are blank to meet IOC regulations, and there has been some talk about special tins only available to athletes.

"Products at the Olympics must be built differently than usual. Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter (.pdf) limits the size and number of logos on clothing or equipment. Oakley sunglasses usually have three logos — one on each temple and a laser-etched logo on the lens. But Rule 50 limits eyewear to one logo, so the custom bar is stocked with non-etched lenses made especially for the Olympics." - Wired Magazine

Mention on VR50 Photochromatic. Yes, these were available for Echelon Radars, but still pretty unique.

Owl Safe House.jpg

Some of the_owl's Safe House Collection with Radars, Radarlocks, and Racing Jackets.
Some good examples that found their way to @the_owl's collection
Some good pictures showing ear socks, lenses, and some frames from @the_owl

Sochi 2014
After London, things started going a bit more generic. The special edition was Sochi Green. While I don’t believe it was available to the public, it’s a bit less interesting than London with the wide array of colors and customization.

Models available that I have heard about are Radarlock, M Frames, and Racing Jackets. More info here.
Sochi Radarlock.jpg

Sochi Green Radarlock from @Rcga32's collection

Rio 2016 and Beyond​

This is where things began to go more mainstream. Rio had the Green Fade. Korea was the Harmony Fade, and Tokyo was either the Kokoro or Tokyo Celebration. Beijing as the Unity Collection.

Rio 2016
While these releases were not exclusive to athletes or through the Safe House, athletes did use modified versions to meet the IOC's Rule 50. Here's a pic of Rafal Majka wearing Green Fade Radar EV's that do not have the Oakley logo on the center of the lens. Flak 2.0's on the other hand, have the logo across the bridge.
Rio Green Fade.jpg


<Add pics and models for each>

Rio did have something special that later became part of many product offerings, a pink lens that became the Prizm Low Light.

From a former Oakley Employee:
"We often used the Olympics to launch new lens tints/technology. For example in Rio, you might have remembered the “pinkish” colored lens worn by many athletes under the floodlights. We specifically developed that lens, which has now become Prizm Lowlight, for the Rio Olympics with the knowledge of how many events would be at night under the floodlights."

2018 Pyeongchang
Harmony Fade - Orange is for the fire that burns inside. Yellow for the sun that lights the path of athletes pursuing dreams.
<Add pics and models for each>

2020 Tokyo

Kokoro Spin - The Kokoro Collection, designed by Meguru Yamaguchi, celebrates our shared Love of Sport, unifying athletes of all abilities, in a time where the need for community is greater than ever. The collection, "Kokoro" – a Japanese word meaning “heart; mind; spirit” – represents the brilliance and beauty of the human race.

Each unique piece is an artistic interpretation of the mental, emotional and physical pursuit of sport and its players, through the mind and work of Tokyo-born, Brooklyn-based artist, Meguru Yamaguchi.


Tokyo Celebration - Japan exclusive
<Add pics and models for each>

2022 Beijing

Unity Collection - Each athlete’s journey is inspired by those who paved the path before them and those who are with them along the way. The Unity Collection was inspired by this generation of athletes who have gone further – together. Team Oakley unites under this collection to lift each other up on the world’s biggest stage, and we hope it inspires and empowers athletes of all levels to pursue their own journey.
<Add pics and models for each>

Non-Olympic Safe Houses

As mentioned above, there were other non-Olympic Safe Houses. Kona Ironman World Championships were a regular, along with some other smaller events like the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships. As these events are smaller from a pro athlete perspective, they didn't go as far as creating special editions like the London/Sochi Games or any of the Olympic editions. Instead, they have often been a launch event for models like the Fast Jackets.

Kona 2009
IMG_0905.jpeg

IMG_0906.jpeg



Kona 2012
IMG_0904.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Hi all!

I was talking to some of the members over at O-Review about Safe House frames, and we are going to add separate entries for each model into the database. As of now, it will probably focus on London 2012 and Sochi 2014, but might also go back to Vancouver 2010 depending on how my research pans out. There’s a few threads on there with some Safe House info sprinkled throughout, but I wanted to create a Safe House knowledge base thread.

Feel free to add additional info below, and I’ll work on keeping this original post updated as much as I can. Please be sure to include links to articles and videos as you find them. Add any pics from your collections below too, and I'm going to work on adding some pictures from some of the other threads.


Safe House

As far as the Olympics are concerned, Safe Houses were set up outside of the Olympic Villages to give athletes a place to go to grab some food, relax, celebrate and get away from everything to unwind.

First Safe House - Atlanta 1996 (per London Safe House article in Wired Magazine. "Eyewear giant Oakley has been running its Athlete Safehouse since the 1996 Games in Atlanta, when the company rented a house in the suburbs to host casual barbecues with competitors."

Sydney 2000 – There are some key chains floating around as seen below. More info is needed on them.
View attachment 931976View attachment 931977
From the seller - "Oakley 2000 Olympic Safe House key ring. These key rings were given to Safe House Oakley employees and sponsored athletes only during the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney."

Vancouver
Here is a video from the Vancouver Safe House.

Also, an article from Vanity Fair. Unfortunately, most of the pictures are gone. Not sure if we can grab them using the Way Back Machine.

London
Article from Wired Magazine also linked above.


Rio
Article from Men's Health of the Safe House. Mark Cavendish has on EX Zeros in Green Fade.
Article from Yahoo Finance with a slide show. It shows Jawbreakers, Radar EV, Flak 2.0 in Green Fade in a range of Prizm lenses.
A video of the Safe House.

Safe House Exclusive Sunglasses

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver 2010 is one of the first events that we know of where athletes could get custom glasses made. From the video, Jawbones, Radar, Commit, and Flak Jackets all appear in what look like OCP colors with a gloss finish. From the video, I’m not sure if the Flak Jackets had the Oakley logo across the bridge removed or not. By no means is my research exhaustive, but most pics I see are athletes wearing Radars, Jawbones and M Frames.

London 2012​

London 2012 is where Safe House glasses look to be unique over OCP offerings with matte finishes. While some of the colors match OCP, the colors were selected to match the colors of the London Underground System.
View attachment 931987
The original Safe House thread
<Info on color names>

Models offered were Radar (Regular and XL, regular and straight stems), Radarlock (Regular and XL), Jawbones, and Fast Jackets. Article From Fashion Office noting 11 models in 18 colors. Radarlock models are shown in the picture.

Lenses were also unique. Lenses that would typically have Oakley across the bridge are blank to meet IOC regulations, and there has been some talk about special tins only available to athletes.

"Products at the Olympics must built differently than usual. Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter (.pdf) limits the size and number of logos on clothing or equipment. Oakley sunglasses usually have three logos — one on each temple and a laser-etched logo on the lens. But Rule 50 limits eyewear to one logo, so the custom bar is stocked with non-etched lenses made especially for the Olympics." - Wired Magazine

Mention on VR50 Photochromatic. Yes, these were available for Echelon Radars, but still pretty unique.

<Additional info about lens offerings>

Working on confirming if other models were offered and seeing if there were any official names for the colors. Waiting on a response from a few former Oakley employees.

View attachment 931984
Owl's Safe House Collection with Radars, Radarlocks, and Jaw Bones.
Some good examples in @tigbball5's collection.
Some good pictures showing ear socks, lenses, and some frames from @the_owl

Sochi 2014
After London, things started going a bit more generic. The special edition was Sochi Green. While I don’t believe it was available to the public, it’ a bit less interesting than London with the wide array of colors and customization.

Models available were <TBD>.
View attachment 931988
Sochi Green Radarlock from @Rcga32's collection

Rio 2016 and Beyond​

I’m not going to spend as much time after London, because that’s where things went, um, generic. Rio had the Green Fade. Korea was the Harmony Fade, and Tokyo was either the Kokoro or Tokyo Celebration. I haven’t heard anything for the upcoming China Games yet.

<Add pics and models for each>
I currently have 35 Safehouse (2012) pairs in Radar, lock and jawbone. All colors represented AFAIK. I have all the Rio pairs except the medal frogs, the Pyongyang medal pairs. Still have a massive stash of socks and icons.
EDIT: Those jawbones in tigbball5 collection are in mine now
IMG_20220117_100422393_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220117_100428414_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220117_100446439_HDR.jpg

IMG_20220117_100707170_HDR.jpg


IMG_20220117_100721725.jpg
 

Latest Posts

Back
Top