Ray Ban price

The rise, fall, and resurgence of the most iconic sunglasses brand in the world.

No wardrobe is complete without a white t-shirt, indigo jeans, and a pair of sunglasses. Across the world there is one eyewear brand that is most well known, most recognizable, and most mimicked. When you see them you might not be able to read the signature on the lens’ corner, but you know what it says: Ray-Ban.

The Dawn

Before Ray-Ban, American pilots wore goggles that resembled those worn by scuba-divers. Aviator and Air Service veteran John Macready reached out to Bausch & Lomb for help designing spectacle-like eye protection that would tame the sky’s blues and the sun’s brilliance. In 1937 B&L released the green-tinted anti-glare Ray-Ban Aviator. Immediately popular in the military, the larger public first saw the Aviator sunglasses when newspapers printed pictures of General MacArthur landing in the Philippines.

During the ’30s and ’40s Ray-Ban developed the Outdoorsman and the Shooter for non-pilots. Further research at the time resulted in gradient and mirrored lenses, favored in World War II for their protection and utility.

Rise to Glory

The ’50s introduced passenger jets, Rock and Roll, and the Ray-Ban Wayfarer. With the media’s help, the Wayfarer changed how the public perceived eyewear. Audrey Hepburn, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe performed on the silver screen wearing Wayfarers. Sunglasses were no longer just eye protection, they became a fashion accessory. As the glasses rose in popularity Ray-Ban continued to innovate, offering Photochromic lenses treated with a polymer film that darkened when exposed to UV rays. They also released Signet and Caravan frames, and a broad line of eyewear designs for women.

Night Falls

The ’80s would mark the climax for Ray-Ban. Michael Jackson wore them during his “Bad” tour–the highest attended tour in history. Tom Cruise wore Ray-Bans in some of the most iconic movies of the decade–Top Gun and Risky Business, resulting in a 40% surge in Ray-Ban sales. Ray-Ban lowered their prices and build quality to increase the accessory’s accessibility, but the brand soon reached saturation. 1990s America rejected the fashion of the ’80s and Ray-Bans were seen by the public as overplayed. Despite Ray-Ban products appearing in several movies such as Reservoir Dogs and Men in Black, Ray-Ban continued to decline as Oakley took more and more of the sunglasses market. Once a luxury brand, Ray-Bans could be purchased at convenience stores and gas stations.