Brief History of Ray-Ban
Ray-Ban, the manufacturer of the famed sunglasses under the same name, was founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb.
It all started several years earlier when a Lieutenant John MacCready returned from a balloon flying adventure, suffered eye damage permanently due to the high altitude bearing the sun’s rays as in balloon flying.
Bausch & Lomb was roped in to create glasses that would helped those who would be in similar situation as Lieutenant John MacCready especially the aviators of United States Army Air Corps.
That year, Bausch & Lomb introduced the Anti-Glare sunglasses prototype, which weighs about 150 grams. The two pieces of green lens were hold by gold-plated metal of wire construction.
Ban The Rays?
The remarkable features of this prototype were the ability to filter the harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays, a first during that time.
Another feature was the shape and size of the lens. The shape of the lens was of oblique teardrop and the size was very different from those reading or prescription glasses as these were smaller. This prototype has a lower end of the lens to help the aviators to glance downward at the controls without having to look down. The big size of the lens, coupled with the slightly convex shape, help to provide a bigger area of protection to the eyes from those harmful infrared and ultraviolet rays.
Towards the end of World War 2, when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines wearing a Ray-Ban Aviator and was caught in the lens of many journalists, soon the Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses.
Advert of The Ray-Ban Wayfarer
In 1952, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer was introduced. Like the Aviator, the Wayfarer was also intended for aviators and pilots to use at large. The Wayfarer’s design was a revolutionary break from the metal-framed glasses, thanks to a new plastic molding technology at that time.
Gradually, the eyewear industry saw another complementary shift in design, marking an era of plastic eyewear.
Hollywood and Wayfarer
The Wayfarers had its’ share of popularity in the 1950s and 1960s, especially when Audrey Hepburn appeared with one in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
There was a number of well-known personalities who were spotted with Wayfarers, like President John Kennedy, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, James Dean, Roy Orbison and Andy Warhol.
As these Wayfarers were intended for men, going by those advertising campaigns at that time, it rose with popularity with Hollywood’s starlets like Kim Novak and Marilyn Monroe who were seen with these “over-sized” eyewear now more seen as a cult object or accessory.
By the 1970s, the Wayfarer saw a decline in its popularity. In 1982, through a product placement deal with Hollywood, Wayfarers were again enjoying a revival. In 1986, its popularity reached 1.5 million pairs in sales. By this time, the Wayfarers had more than 30 models, up from just 2 models in 1981, in its line.
The 1990 saw its decline again. The Wayfarer was brought back to the drawing block to undergo a design revamp. Changes were made to the frame, lighter injected plastic were used for its frame.
With the popularity of vintage-framed Wayfarers, fuelled by Chloe Sevigny and Mary-Kate Olsen, Ray-Ban were quick to spot the trend. In 2007, the vintage-frame style was re-introduced. Names like Original Wayfarer, New Wayfarer and folding Wayfarer were marketed. Sales had never been this great before.
Wayfarers had been credited as a classic modern design as well as one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century. Often, along with the Aviators, Wayfarers are sometimes cited as the best-selling design of sunglasses in history.