Ray-Ban rises with Aviator

The birth of Ray-Ban dates back to the 1930s. The rapid development of military aircraft design in the United States in the 1930s allowed pilots to travel farther, faster and higher, but it also brought a new problem. Pilots reported that the high levels of glare they encountered when flying high and fast caused vision problems, headaches and altitude sickness. This problem naturally reduced their ability to operate at the high levels required for military operations. A solution was needed. Around the same time, Lieutenant General John McCready, bothered by the glare of sunlight during a balloon flight, came up with the idea of dark glasses that would shade his eyes. The lieutenant general thought that such dark glasses could also be an effective solution for military pilots. So when members of the US Military Aviation approached Bausch & Lomb with a request for sunglasses that could limit glare, the Aviator, the first design that would make Ray-Ban Ray-Ban, was produced in 1936. The iconic brand’s timeless Avaitor model was a prototype sunglass with plastic frames and green lenses in 1936, but within a year the plastic frames were replaced with metal frames. At the time, however, it was felt that the term ‘anti-glare’ was not striking enough to summarize the appeal of these new glasses. The term ‘Ray-Ban’ was therefore adopted, along with the Aviator label as a nod to the aviation connection.

Ray-Ban Aviator was so successful that not only pilots wore them. Contemporary photographs show that they were also worn by high-ranking military officers and the Ray-Ban Aviator soon became synonymous with the glamorous lifestyle of military pilots. The invention of the Aviator in 1936 marked the beginning of Ray-Ban’s rise to fame. Within a few years, the use of Ray-Bans expanded beyond military use and civilians living and working outdoors began to see the benefits of the Ray-Ban Avaitor. This started the trend of marketing Ray-Bans as a premium product, a trend that continues throughout the brand’s history to the present day.

Shooter and Outdoorsman in the 30s
Following the success of the Ray-Ban Aviator, Bausch & Lomb launched the Ray-Ban Shooter in 1938, designed specifically for rifle users, with a choice of green or yellow lenses. The yellow lenses were particularly useful as they filtered out blue light, enhancing detail and minimizing blur, making it much easier for users to work in hazy conditions. The design also featured a center called the “Cigarette Circle” that allowed the user to free both hands, which became a signature feature of the Shooter.
Not wanting to slow the pace of success, Bausch & Lomb introduced the Ray-Ban Outdoorsman in 1939, marketed to hunters, shooters and fishing enthusiasts. Initially known as ‘Skeet Glass’, its defining feature was the use of various finishes such as nacre and calf leather for the top bar and temple tips.

The legendary 40s…
The start of World War II required further innovation in the development of sunglass technology. The Aviator was still used by the military for pilots, and Bausch & Lomb continued to improve the design to meet the needs of these high-performance pilots. One of these innovations was gradient mirror lenses. Gradient mirror lenses were created by coating the top of the lens with a glare-reducing coating while leaving the bottom untreated so that pilots could see their instruments clearly and easily. As the status of pilots in the eyes of the public rose, especially during the war, so did the desire of civilians to emulate the war heroes they admired. Thus, the Ray-Ban Aviator further strengthened the popularity it already held. In the 1940s, Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses made their mark in the history of sunglasses as the perfect accessory for the military-style look that permeated the fashion culture of the time.

Clubmaster was born
Another of the iconic brand’s timeless and legendary designs, the Clubmaster dates back to the 1940s. Notable for the brow line in its design, the Clubmaster was first made in 1947 with interchangeable bridges and brow lines. The aim with the Clubmaster was to allow the size, fit and even the color of the glasses to be changed. Ray-Ban, a brand focused on innovation and technology since its foundation, has revolutionized the eyewear industry with the innovations offered by the Clubmaster, which has achieved great success. After launching the Clubmaster, one of its legendary designs, Ray-Ban has revised and improved the model countless times over the years and has managed to maintain its leading position among eyewear manufacturers applying the brow-line style. In particular, a new Clubmaster developed in the 1980s was used by the famous Hollywood actor Bruce Willis in the popular TV series Moonlighting, further paving the way for the legendary model.

The ’50s brought the Wayfarer
After the enforced austerity of the war years, it was perhaps inevitable that the 50s would be a period of high glamor. Despite the enduring popularity of the Aviator, Bausch & Lomb decided it was time to take advantage of the new synthetic materials available and create a design with a different appeal. Thus, in 1952, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer was born. With its frames made of modern molded plastic, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer had a completely different look from the Aviator. Thanks to optical designer Raymond Stegeman, the frames were transformed into sharp pointed ‘wings’ with almond-shaped lenses.
The allure of Hollywood’s silver screen was fast becoming the ultimate trendsetter and the Ray-Ban Wayfarer was soon worn by the hottest superstars both on and off screen. Worn by James Dean in the famous 1955 film ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ and later by Audrey Hepburn in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, the Wayfarer became the sunglasses of choice for many movie fans worldwide, adorning wardrobes from the 50s onwards. It has thus become one of the top three most iconic and best-selling designs in Ray-Ban’s long and storied history.

The 60s and 70s at Ray-Ban…
Although there were thirty models in Ray-Ban’s range at the beginning of the sixties, Bausch&Lomb significantly expanded its catalog within a decade, driven by an explosion in fashion, popular culture and celebrity admiration.  As with previous models, the popularity of the different styles was greatly influenced by the celebrities who favored them, especially when they appeared in a blockbuster movie with far-reaching impact. Ray-Ban Olympian I and II appeared in 1965. Reminiscent of a classic look with a thin arched metal lug and sculpted rectangular lenses, the Olympian had a uniquely contemporary edge. The model was used by Peter Fonda in the movie ‘Easy Rider’ in 1969 to great acclaim.
The Ray-Ban Balorama was introduced in 1968 and the design was made famous in 1971 by Clint Eastwood in the movie ‘Dirty Harry’. As Ray-Ban released models such as Meteor, Laramie and Signet one after the other, Aviator and Wayfarer continued to adorn the faces of famous musicians such as Bob Dylan. The Caravan, a redesigned version of the Aviator with squarer lenses, also took its place among Ray-Ban’s best styles during these years.
In the 70s, full of disco energy, the trend of using the right clothes and accessories prevailed more intensely. By now, Ray-Bans had become a fashion item in their own right and were worn indoors as well as outdoors. Of course, the requirements of fashion wearers were completely different from those who needed sunglasses for practical reasons, which led Bausch&Lomb to start addressing two separate markets: the fashion market and the sports market. On the fashion front, Ray-Ban Vagabond and Ray-Ban Stateside debuted to great acclaim.

Powerful 80s
The legendary Ray-Bans took the world by storm in the 1980s. Along with updated versions of other iconic designs, the return of the Wayfarer and the Clubmaster’s rapid entry into the scene with its updated version made Ray-Ban a huge part of the 80s fashion consciousness. With its role in Hollywood movies, Ray-Ban has always kept the admiration and the desire to look cool fresh. While the Wayfarer appeared in blockbusters such as 1980’s ‘The Blues Brothers’ and 1983’s ‘Risky Business’, the original Aviator’s use by Tom Cruise in the legendary 1986 film ‘Top Gun’ inevitably led to a strong resurgence.
Pop culture also played an important role in Ray-Ban’s brand appreciation. In particular, Ray-Ban Aviator, which was preferred by Michael Jackson, an icon who hypnotized the world with his voice and dances, at the 1984 Grammy event, increased its fame several times more. The famous artist’s use of various Ray-Ban models, including the Wayfarer, on his famous ‘Bad’ world tour between 1987-89 also reflects the great success of the iconic brand’s marketing strategies.

Decline in the 90s
Ray-Ban began to decline in the 1990s despite prominent promotions in some popular movies. Blockbusters that kept Ray-Ban in the spotlight included 1992’s ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Malcolm X’, 1997’s ‘Men in Black’ and 1998’s ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’. By the end of the nineties, Bausch&Lomb turned its attention to different segments and sold Ray-Ban to the Italian Luxottica Group, one of the world’s largest eyewear manufacturers.

Long, successful journey with Luxottica

Starting in 2000, Luxottica began its efforts to elevate Ray-Ban’s existing value and positioning by redesigning the brand in line with the trends of the time. In 2003, Luxottica optimized its prescription sunglasses, Ray-Ban Optical, with great care and diligence to revitalize the iconic Ray-Ban. Luxottica’s main objective was to blend superior design and attention to detail in their craftsmanship with unparalleled attention to detail, without losing the cultural roots that made Ray-Bans popular at a premium level. In the same year, Luxottica launched Ray-Ban Junior, a collection of sunglasses specially designed for fashion-conscious 8-12 year olds. In 2005, the range was extended to include lightweight yet durable hypoallergenic frames.
The iconic Wayfarer was updated in 2006 and photographer Mick Rock was commissioned to create a portfolio of unforgettable images to bring the Wayfarer into the modern age. For this innovative project, known as ‘Ray-Ban Uncut’, artists such as indie rock musicians Peaches, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream and Johnny Marr of The Smiths put their own contemporary spin on the new Wayfarer design. In 2007, a brilliantly conceived promotional campaign called ‘Never Hide’ capitalized on the concept that Ray-Ban wearers need only stay true to who they are in order to put themselves in the limelight. The campaign brought together instantly recognizable personalities from the past and present with Ray-Ban wearers who want to be heard and make their presence known. The worldwide launch of this campaign had a huge impact on the brand’s ongoing success.

With the Re-masters project in 2008, Ray-Ban continued to seamlessly blend its extensive celebrity culture into its promotional campaigns. Well-known musicians such as The Kills, Black Kids, Ladyhawke, Ipso Facto and Paolo Nutini performed cover versions from the 50s and 60s to evoke the popular Ray-Ban Clubmaster design of the era. The Never Hide campaign was followed by Never Hide Colorise in 2009. Wayfarer fans created their own unique color designs using special pens on the white frame, while other innovations of the campaign included printing unique designs on the inner surfaces of the glasses, such as New York subway maps.
In 2021, Ray-Ban commercialized Ray-Ban Stories, a smart glasses model developed in collaboration with Facebook Reality Labs. Based on the latest trends in wearable technology, the glasses include a built-in camera and bluetooth headphones.
Ray-Ban, which reinterpreted the Wayfarer and Clubmaster icons and transformed them into mega shapes worthy of its reputation, managed to attract all the attention in 2023. Taking sunglasses beyond time with the Mega Clubmaster and Mega Wayfarer, Ray-Ban’s future collections are eagerly awaited by both the optical industry and the fashion world.

October 2023