Oakley Inc.
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Oakley headquarters in Foothill Ranch
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| Subsidiary | |
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| Founded | 1975 |
| Founder | Jim Jannard |
| Headquarters | Foothill Ranch, California, United States |
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Key people
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Jim Jannard: Chairman |
| Parent | Luxottica Group S.p.A. |
| Website | www |
Oakley, Inc., based in Lake Forest, California, and a subsidiary of Italian company Luxottica, designs, develops and manufactures sports performance equipment and lifestyle pieces including sunglasses, sports visors, ski/snowboard goggles, watches, apparel, backpacks, shoes, optical frames, and other accessories. Most items are designed in house at their head office, but some countries hold exclusive designs relevant to their market. Oakley currently holds more than 600 patents for eyewear, materials, and performance gear.
Oakley was started by James Jannard in 1975 out of his garage with an initial investment of $300. The name "Oakley" came from Jim's English Setter, "Oakley Anne." Jannard began by selling what he called 'The Oakley Grip' out of the back of his car at events. His motorcycle grips were unlike other grips available at the time, using a trademarked material known as 'Unobtainium'('Unobtanium'), a unique creation by Jannard. The material is still used to make the earsocks on Oakley glasses, and many of the nose pieces and now the bands of their watches. Oakley went on to produce number plates, gloves, grips, elbow guards, chin guards, and goggles for the BMX and motocross communities.After selling Oakely Inc. to Italian Eyeware company Luxottica Group in 2007, founder James Jannard went on to found Red Digital Cinema.
In 1980, Jannard released a pair of goggles called the O-Frame. With the 'Oakley' logo present on the strap, the brand garnered increasing recognition and prominence throughout the sports industry. In 1983 Oakley began selling ski goggles.
The first Oakley sunglasses; Factory Pilot Eyeshades, were sport-oriented, resembling goggles and were released in 1984. These were followed in 1985 by the Oakley Frogskin, a casual sunglass style that was made in Japan.
The company went public in 1995, raising $230 million.
In early 1996, Oakley had a pricing dispute with Italian company Luxottica, the world's largest eyewear manufacturers and retailers. Luxottica stopped carrying Oakley's products in their stores, including Sunglass Hut, and Oakley's stock market value declined 33%.
In 2001, Oakley bought Iacon, Inc., operator of mall-based sunglasses stores Sunglass Designs, Sporting Eyes, and Occhiali da Sole.
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