In today’s “Sex and the City” themed world, where fashion is the topic for men and women alike, from their shoes to their eyewear, and in every major hub in the country, so it’s no surprise that new fashion empires have emerged and are flourishing more than ever before. One fashion accessory that is the newest and most sought after accessory that the world has seen since Carrie introduced us to the likes of Manolo Blahnik, are sunglasses.
With the exception of the Chinese back in the 12th century using colored lenses to help conceal their thoughts, sun-protective eye wear as we know it today were developed in the early 1900’s. In fact, one of the most popular styles, the Aviators stemmed from one, awe inspiring hot air balloon ride. When Lieutenant John MacCready landed after that fateful ride, he felt as if his eyes had been permanently injured by the sun’s harmful rays. He wanted to come up with some sort of protective eye wear, and so he went to the leading eye care manufacturer at the time; Bausch & Lomb. They worked together with Ray Ban to create an elegant and protective product. The style was quickly adapted by the Air Force for their pilots to use while shielding the sun during their flights and the style was aptly named the Aviator.
Today, there are hundreds of popular designers making all different styles of sunglasses. One of the major distributors is Luxottica Group. They own over 25 different brands of eyewear, such as Anne Klein, Arnette, Burberry, and Chanel, just to name a few. Each brand represents its own signature style, like Arnette is a high performance manufacturer. The shades are designed to stand up to extreme athletes, like bikers, surfers or motor cross. Arnette is extremely popular through that genre, as well as being found on the front porches of summer homes, while people are just hanging out, because not only do they produce quality products, but they are stylish and polished. Other designers like Burberry and Chanel keep their styles classic and bold. You can almost always recognize the brand by the bold and fresh styles and frames.
Eyewear has developed into a signature fashion staple for everyone. It’s one accessory where nearly every person, regardless of status or style, owns at least one pair, usually more. This empire has taken something that protects your eyes, and has many benefits, and turned it into a fashion must. The styles have come a long way from being produced for someone in a hot air balloon!