A Brief History of Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sunglasses - Wikipedia
TheRay-Ban Wayfareris a design ofsunglassesmanufactured byRay-Bansince 1952, when their design was a
revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. Wayfarers enjoyed early
popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the sunglasses had faded from the
limelight by the 1970s, a lucrative 1982product placementdeal brought Wayfarers to their
height of popularity. Since the mid-2000s, the sunglasses have been enjoying a
revival.
Wayfarers are
sometimes cited as the best-selling design of sunglasses in history(althoughRay-Ban Aviatorshave also been credited with this
achievement) and have been called a classic of modern designand
one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century.
Design and early popularity
Wayfarers were
designed in 1952 by optical designer Raymond Stegeman,who
procured dozens of patents forBausch and Lomb, Ray-Ban's
parent company.The design was a radically new shape, "a mid-century
classic to rivalEames chairsandCadillac tail fins."According
to design criticStephen Bayley, the
"distinctivetrapezoidalframe
spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness, but one
nicely tempered by the sturdy arms which, according to the advertising, gave
the frames a 'masculine look.'"Wayfarers, which took advantage of
new plastic molding technology, marked the transition between a period of
eyewear with thin metal frames and an era of plastic eyewear.
1970s slump and 1980s comeback
After
Wayfarers' heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, sales declined.Though
Wayfarers were worn in the 1980 movieThe Blues Brothers,only 18,000 pairs were sold in 1981,and
Wayfarers were on the verge of discontinuation.
The sunglasses'
fate was reversed, however, when in 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $50,000-a-year deal
with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, toplace Ray-Bans in movies and television shows.(Between
1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television
shows per year;Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through
2007.)Tom Cruise's wearing of
Wayfarers in the 1983 movieRisky Businessmarked
the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year.By
1986, after appearances inMiami Vice,Moonlighting, andThe Breakfast Club, sales had reached 1.5 million.Wayfarers
rose to popularity among musicians, includingMichael Jackson,Johnny Marr,Blondie'sDebbie Harry, Madonna,Elvis Costello,Morrissey,and members ofU2,and
among other celebrities such asJack Nicholsonand
even Anna Wintour.Bret Easton Ellis' fiction often name-dropped
references to Wayfarers,andDon Henley's 1984 song
"The Boys Of Summer"
contained the lyric "You got that hair slicked back and those Wayfarers
on, baby". Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981
to more than 40 models in 1989,and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.
1990s
decline and 2001 redesign
As the 1990s
began, the frames again became unpopular.The 1950s revival that fueled the
glasses' popularity in the 1980s had lost steam, and Wayfarers were outcompeted
by wraparound frames.In 2001, the Wayfarer underwent a significant redesign, with
the frames made smaller and less angular, and changed fromacetateto a lighterinjected plastic.The changes were intended to update
the frames' style during a period of unpopularity and to make them easier to
wear (the frames' previous tilt made them impossible to perch on top of one's
head, for instance).
Late 2000s comeback
Wayfarers were
brought back into fashion in the late 2000s when celebrities includingChloë SevignyandMary-Kate Olsenbegan wearing vintage frames.Ray-Ban
designers soon noticed that vintage Wayfarers were commanding high prices on
eBay,and the 2007 re-introduction of the original Wayfarer design
aimed to respond to the demand.(As of 2007, Wayfarers were available in Original Wayfarer,
New Wayfarer, and Wayfarer Folding styles.) Ray-Ban's marketing strategy was
threefold: a return to the sunglasses' original, rebellious design, an
"edgy" advertising campaign and "high-profile PR events",
and the use of new media likeMySpaceto
connect with consumers.Sales in 2007 were 231% greater than in 2006 at Selfridge's
London;as of October 2007, the Wayfarer was theLuxottica Group's third-best-selling style.As
of July 2008, sales had increased 40% over 2007.As of 2008, the Wayfarer model is
available in a wide variety of colors and patterns.
Similar models and myths
Ray-Ban made a
number of models that looked similar to the Wayfarer style, such as the
"Myth" and the "Meteor".By the 1960s many manufacturers of
sunglasses made shades that were clearly inspired by the Ray-Ban line.
In the 1961
movieBreakfast at
Tiffany'sAudrey Hepburn wore oversized sunglasses that resemble the
Wayfarer model quite a bit and are often mistaken for the real thing by people
unfamiliar with the details of the original design. This is a quite common
phenomenon. Other people who prominently wore sunglasses resembling Wayfarers
areJohn F. Kennedy,Bob Dylan,Andy Warhol, andRoy Orbison.
During the
2000s Wayfarer revival, many sunglasses designs inspired by the original
Wayfarers were produced by designers unaffiliated with Ray-Ban.Other Wayfarer-inspired sunglasses included various designs
inJuicy Couture,Hugo Boss,Kate Spade, andMarc Jacobs's2008 lines.Between
July and September 2008, retailers began selling frameless Wayfarers.