New Sunglasses 2015

Sunglasses trends for 2015

Whether you’re a hiker, a cyclist, or a trail runner, you’ll find a pair of shades that can keep up with you here. This year, you’ll see a big push toward greener materials in sunglasses, as well as cool lens tech that supposedly brings up your mood.

Our band of testers rounded up the year’s top performers to bring you the best lenses (Julbo Venturi), the best swappable mechanism (Smith Pivlock Arena Max), and the most eco-friendly pair (Proof Ontario Wood).

Happy Lenses: Can your shades actually lift your mood?

Some lenses change color, some repel dirt, some swap out, but only one makes you happier. SPY’s new Happy Lenses are engineered to allow the sun’s long-wave blue light to penetrate through to your eye (while still blocking the harmful short-wave light). Research shows that long-wave blue rays boost the brain’s production of serotonin, a hormone responsible for regulating mood, among other things. So, by allowing just this type of light through, SPY claims the Happy Lens makes the wearer, well, happier. Our testers were split on the claim. “Sure, I was really happy, but I had also just bagged a sweet peak, so how can you tell?” one wondered.