Foster Grant
| Subsidiary of FGX International | |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Founder | Sam Foster |
| Headquarters | Smithfield, Rhode Island, United States |
| Products | Eyewear and sunglasses |
| Website | fostergrant |
Foster Grant, or FosterGrant, is an American brand of eyewear founded by Sam Foster in 1929. The Foster Grant brand is a subsidiary company of FGX International, a consumer goods wholesaler with headquarters in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which has been owned by Essilor since 2010.
Foster Grant's original production line was ladies' hair accessories; over the company's lifetime they have also produced other plastic materials including heart-lung pumps.
In the 1850s, celluloid was invented as a substitute for substances such as ivory and turtle shell. One major use for the new substance was in the production of hair combs. Samuel Foster founded Foster Grant to produce these celluloid hair combs.
In the 1920s, Hollywood actresses (ironically featured on celluloid film) started wearing shorter hair styles. These became popular causing a collapse in the market for combs, and threatening Foster Grant. However, the development of injection molding technology made it possible to produce mass market celluloid sunglasses. Sales rapidly increased with Hollywood stars featuring in advertising campaigns, and the company became a major player in the sunglasses industry.
Foster Grant's 1960s and 1970s sunglasses ad campaign "Who's that behind those Foster Grants?", included celebrities Peter Sellers, Louis Jourdan, Carroll Baker, Claudia Cardinale, Elke Sommer, Anita Ekberg, Vittorio Gassman, Anthony Quinn, Mia Farrow, Robert Goulet, Julie Christie, Woody Allen, OJ Simpson, Raquel Welch, Terence Stamp, Clayton Moore, and Vanessa Redgrave.
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