Ray-Ban
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Type | Subsidiary of Luxottica Group S.p.a. |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1937 |
| Founder(s) | Bausch & Lomb |
| Headquarters | Agordo, Veneto, Italy |
| Products | High End Eyewear and Sunglasses |
| Website | www.ray-ban.com |
Ray-Ban is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937[1] by Bausch & Lomb. They were introduced for the United States Army Air Corps[2]. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars[3].
Ray-Bans were initially created in 1937. Some years ealier, Lieutenant John MacCready had returned from a balloon flying adventure and complained that the sun had done permanent damage to his eyes. He contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not only provide superb protection, but also look elegant. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb officially took out the patent[3]. The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, consisted of an extremely light frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with two green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Army Air Corps immediately adopted the sunglasses[3]. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them.[3]
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[edit] Entertainment
Hundreds of Ray-Ban Sunglasses have made appearances in Hollywood films; the first dates back to the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly[4]. Later, the popularity of Ray-Ban sunglasses was confirmed in the Hollywood hit Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. Later, Tom Cruise added his own contribution in the 1983 hit Risky Business[4], and the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun. Cruise has subsequently been among the greatest promoters of Ray-Ban Sunglasses, due to the resurgance of both Wayfarers and Aviators because of the aforementioned movies. In the 1997 box office hit Men in Black, Will Smith also made Ray-Ban appeal to even more people with a reference to the sunglasses.
President Barack Obama has also been repeatedly photographed wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses including on the cover of Ebony magazine.
Michael Jackson also made Ray-Ban sunglasses popular during the 90's era.
Other notable celebrities known for wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses in the past include Bob Dylan, Joe Strummer, Roy Orbison, Alex Demosthenes, Slash, James Dean, Robert Pattinson, Emma Watson, and Andy Warhol.
On 9 December 2008, Bowery Ballroom (New York) hosted the Ray-Ban Remasters concert, which showcased the 50’s inspired RayBan Clubmaster sunglasses. The event brought a number of rock n’ roll bands and celebrities from the cast of Gossip Girl, including Blake Lively, Joshua Jackson, Dianne Kruger. [5]
[edit] Formula One Sponsorship
In July 2004, Ray-Ban officially became partners with the BAR Honda F1 Team. The Ray-Ban logo was featured in a prominent position on the helmet visors of race drivers Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, and third driver Anthony Davidson. For the 2006 season, the distinctive Ray-Ban signature also appeared on the cockpit sides of Honda Racing’s RA106 race car. Honda Racing F1 Team members wore the Ray-Ban 4075 sunglasses model from its spring and summer 2006 sun collection[6].
On April 19, 2009, it was announced that Ray-Ban would continue its sponsorship of the Brawn GP team which was formed following the exit of Honda from Formula One. The distinctive Ray-Ban logo continued to appear on the helmet visors of Brawn GP’s race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello since the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. The Brawn GP team members wear Ray-Ban sunglasses from the brand’s 2009 range. [7]
[edit] Sundance Film Festival
Ray-Ban has been partnering the annual Sundance Film Festival for independent filmmakers since 2003. Each year, the Ray-Ban Visionary award is given to an individual whose work in the film industry showcases vision, imagination and originality[4]. Previous award winners include Quentin Tarantino, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Colin Callender and Mark Ordesky[4].
[edit] See also
- Ray-Ban Aviator
- Ray-Ban Wayfarer
- Sunglass Hut - also owned by Luxottica and features Ray-Ban
[edit] References
- ^ Ray-Ban company website
- ^ History of Ray-Ban
- ^ a b c d Fashion Dictionary Ray-Ban
- ^ a b c d Ray-Ban company website
- ^ "Ray-Ban Clubmaster reinvented". SunGlassesUK.com. http://www.sunglassesuk.com/pr1/press_release/rayban_clubmaster_reinvented_revitalized.asp. Retrieved on 2009-04-16.
- ^ F1 Technical Ray-Ban extends partnership with Honda
- ^ Brawn GP Ray-Ban Announcement
