Few brands captured the collision of sport, technology & pop culture in the 80s & 90s like Oakley. What began as a California performance brand rooted in motocross, BMX and cycling evolved into something much bigger: a symbol of the era's fascination with futuristic design, elite athletes & the idea that technical equipment could also be fashion.
Oakley was founded by Jim Jannard in 1975, originally making motorcycle grips. Its early identity came from motocross, BMX and other action sports. By 1980, moved into motocross goggles, & in 1984–85 Jannard developed the Eyeshade, essentially transferring the coverage and fit of goggles into sunglasses. The origins in equipment, & belief practical eyewear underpins Oakley's ethos & design choices to this day.
In the 80's Oakley introduced some pretty revolutionary tech into eyewear such as: the Eyeshade, Razor Blades, Blades & later M-Frame/Mumbo. Full coverage wraparound lenses, exaggerated geometry, bright colours, exposed technology & recognisable logo's all formed Oakley's distinct visual identity.
The Frogskins, first introduced in 1985, were particularly significant because they were a more conventional, lifestyle-oriented frame. They gave Oakley an entry point beyond hardcore athletes and into everyday wear. They crossed into territory outside of sports, & became a fashionable, collectible sunglass, for anyone with that "gotta catch 'em all" mentality.
Fast forward a few years to 1995s & Oakley made one of their biggest marketing moves ever, & signed a deal with Michael Jordan. No ordinary endorsement, MJ acquired ~$2million of Oakley stock & became a member of the board of directors for a time.
"Michael Jordan was wearing the Eyejacket in places that weren’t the basketball court, that’s what made Oakley ‘fashion-adjacent,” says Brian Takumi, VP of Creative Soul @ Oakley. “We got into that space by working with athletes who were relevant in pop culture – so you go back to MJ, Dennis Rodman, even Lance Armstrong. It was leveraging athletes instead of sponsoring movie stars, or whatever.”
Oakley developed partnerships with a slew of legendary NBA players, notably Dennis Rodman. If Jordan represented mainstream athletic credibility, Dennis Rodman represented Oakley's rebellious side.
Oakley belonged to the same cultural movement that transformed sneakers from athletic equipment into cultural objects. They then took that cultural cache to further heights through film & TV.
Around 15 years ago USG was stocking an array of Frogskins, amongst bits of other casual eyewear. We are super excited to see Oakley come back full circle, but also bigger & better than ever! An extensive range of performance & casual Oakley eyewear is available now @ USG!
