Ray-Ban
 |
|
| Subsidiary | |
| Founded | 1937 |
| Headquarters |
Bentonville, Arkansas Formerly Rochester, New York, United States |
| Products | Eyewear and sunglasses |
| Owners | Luxottica |
|
Number of employees
|
55,000 |
| Website | www |
Ray-Ban is a brand of sunglasses and eyeglasses founded in 1937 by the American company Bausch & Lomb. The brand is best known for their Wayfarer and Aviator styles of sunglasses. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported $640 million.
In 1929, US Army Air Corps Lieutenant General John MacCready asked Bausch & Lomb, a Rochester, New York-based medical equipment manufacturer, to create aviation sunglasses that would reduce the distraction for pilots caused by the intense blue and white hues of the sky. Specifically, MacCready was concerned about how pilots goggles would fog up, causing pilots to become blind at high altitudes. The prototype, created in 1936 and known as ‘Anti-Glare’, had plastic frames and green lenses that could cut out the glare without obscuring vision. They also added impact-resistant lenses in 1938. The sunglasses were remodeled with a metal frame the following year and patented as the 'Ray-Ban Aviator'. According to the BBC, the glasses used, “Kalichrome lenses designed to sharpen details and minimise haze by filtering out blue light, making them ideal for misty conditions.” In 1952, Ray-Ban created the Ray-Ban Wayfarer, using plastic frames. The now-standard G-15 green and gray lenses were introduced a year after the Wayfarer, in 1953. In 1965, the Olympian I and II were introduced; they became popular when Peter Fonda wore them in the 1969 film Easy Rider. In 1999, the Global Eyewear Division of Bausch & Lomb, including Ray-Ban, was acquired by Luxottica Group for $640 million.
The main sunglasses lines of Ray-Ban are the Wayfarers, founded in 1952, and the Aviators, which originally came with green and grey lenses. During the 1950s, Ray-Ban also released the Ray-Ban Caravans, a squarer looking frame. It was also popular during the 1970s, worn by Robert de Niro in the film Taxi Driver. Regardless, the aviators frame have remained the most popular style of Ray-Ban through the years. The company has also produced special edition lines, such as the 1987 line The General, harkening back to the original aviators worn by General Douglas MacArthur during the Second World War. Three other models of the brand are named Clubmaster, Round, and the most recent one Clubround.
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Wikipedia