Oakley, Inc.
Oakley is an
eyewear
company known mostly for their
high end sunglasses and
ski goggles. They also make
watches,
clothing, ,
backpacks,
shoes,
prescription glasses and other
accessories. Their headquarters in the USA is in
Foothill Ranch, CA and
Letchworth,
Hertfordshire in the UK.
Oakley's distinctive 'O'
logo is placed on the sides of most of their glasses and sunglasses. They also employ a unique
skull logo on some of their accessories and clothing. The design of both their products and their stores are a futuristic meld of organic and mechanical forms, most likely inspired by the work of
surrealist artist
H.R. Giger. The futuristic, spaceship-like stores make use of heavily tooled mechanical designs, such as rivets and thick metal hoses visibly connecting the store's light fixtures to a huge overhead "pipeline".
Like many high-priced brand-name accessories, Oakley's sunglasses are often counterfeited and sold in markets around the world that cater to tourists and internet buyers. Counterfeit Oakleys are often referred to as "Foakleys" (faux Oakleys) or "Joke-leys." Counterfeit Oakleys are occasionally referred to as Oakeys (pronounced: oak-E's), this is due to an inconsistency between the spelling of "Oakley," written on the bridge, on real Oakleys and fake ones.
Oakley's current chairman is
Jim Jannard, who owns approximately 68% of the outstanding shares (2006), and reputedly named the company after his
English setter Oakley.
Notwithstanding the high cost of top quality polycarbonate, these glasses appear to be priced as high as the market will stand, setting a trend among other sports eyewear manufacturers.
|
A pair of Oakley "A-Wire" sunglasses |
Oakley sunglasses routinely appear in action movies such as
Blade II,
Mission: Impossible II, and
X-Men.
Oakleys have also appeared in the following films/shows: 50 First Dates,A.I.,American Choppers,Art of War,Bad Boys II,Black Hawk Down,Blade Trinity,Core, The,Demolition Man,Die Another Day,Dog The Bounty Hunter,Double Team,Duct Wars: Midnight Shadows,Extreme Ops,Fast and the Furious,Fight Club,Hellboy,Hideaway,Hitch,Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,Hogan Knows Best,Impostor,National Treasure,Office Space,Point Break,Prince and Me (The),Rumble in the Bronx,Spiderman 1,Spy Kids 3-D,Starship Troopers,The Day After Tomorrow,The Fan,Vertical Limit,xXx,xXx 2,You Got Served
*
Oakley - The Official Site*
Oakley Review - A massive fansite with database, history, discussions etc*
European Oakley Community with Forum and Picture Gallery
