Reinventing The Concept of Eyewear.
Origin of the Species. It started with a single idea. A mad scientist looked at a product and saw an opportunity. Jim Jannard created a world's first--a motocross handgrip with a unique orbicular design, engineered to fit a competitor's closed hand. The year was 1975. It was the beginning of Oakley Inc. (NYSE: OO), a technology company that would soon be fueled by a raging distaste for mediocrity and a fierce devotion to innovation. Today, Oakley is driven to seek out problems, create solutions, and wrap those solutions in art. The company's obsession with innovation has built a legacy of science, sculpture, and defiance of conventional thinking. Reinventing the concept of eyewear was only the first step. The passion that ignited the optical industry is now unleashed on high-performance footwear, wristwatches, apparel and accessories.
Innovation-Driven Designer.
Quality That Endures.
Moving from Handgrips to Goggles to Sunglasses.
Oakley, Inc. is an innovation-driven designer, manufacturer, and distributor of high-performance eyewear, including sunglasses and goggles. Although known best for its sunglasses, Oakley has also expanded into footwear, watches, apparel, and accessories. Key aspects of the company's success include celebrity endorsements, especially by athletes, together with high-tech designs that include interchangeable lenses, high optical clarity, and damage resistance, and selective distribution through high-end retailers and specialty stores, including the Oakley-owned O Stores, Oakley Vaults, Sunglass Designs, Sporting Eyes, and Occhiali da Sole. These elements of Oakley's brand-building strategy work together to increase the perceived value of the company's products.
People have known Oakley for close to 40 years as a company that leads the market in new technology and value. They continue to provide excellent products with new and innovative features. In addition to the features already listed, Oakley’s lenses provide others like 100% UV protection for your eyes. There are flexible spring hinges for greater comfort. Models with nosepads may have Unobtainium™ technology, so the frame doesn’t slip off your face and is more comfortable. Oakley has quality as an essential part of its core values.
Oakley was founded by Jim Jannard in 1975 when he began selling handgrips for motocross motorcycles from the back of his car. Something of a motorcycle enthusiast, Jannard attended the University of Southern California in 1970. The long-haired student dropped out, reportedly because the Irish setter he brought to class irritated his professors. He spent about a year driving around the Southwest on his motorcycle. When he returned to Los Angeles, he traded in his motorcycle for a small Honda and began selling motorcycle parts out of his trunk to shops that serviced motorcycles. In 1975 he designed a rubber grip for off-road motorcycles and began selling it along with the motorcycle parts. That was the beginning of Oakley, a company he named after one of his dogs.