As we wave goodbye to what feels the longest month of the year, it’s time to dust off the cobwebs, stop shivering and start thinking about what summer might bring. It’ll be here before you know it.
With our eyes fixed forwards, it’s hard to see beyond a brand like Ray-Ban as a starting point. No pun intended. Few brands that specialise in accessories can claim a legacy as enduring as Ray-Ban.
What began in the 1930s as a practical solution for military pilots has grown into a symbol of effortless cool, culturally omnipresent and naturally worn by Hollywood stars, musicians, style rebels, and everyday cool cats alike. From Aviators to Wayfarers and beyond, Ray-Ban has shaped the way the world sees and sees through eyewear.
Their story began when Colonel John A. Macready of the U.S. Army Air Corps approached American optical company Bausch & Lomb with a problem: pilots struggled with glare and eye fatigue at high altitudes. The answer was a new type of sunglass designed not just to darken the sun, but to filter it, reducing glare while preserving clarity. The result was the first prototype called “Anti-Glare,” and by 1936 the Ray-Ban Aviator was launched. Its name was no coincidence as it was literally meant to ban harmful rays, a functional yet catchy moniker that would outlive its practical origins.
Originally intended for aviators, it didn’t take long for the style to escape its cockpit roots. People who flew planes back then were pretty much as cool as it got, so by the end of the 1930s and into the 1940s, the Aviator’s sleek metal silhouette was worn by military personnel and seen in still photographs that symbolised that heroic type of wartime cool.
Although Aviators laid the foundation, Ray-Ban’s next landmark achievement was its entry into mainstream style with the Wayfarer in 1952. Designed by Raymond Stegeman, Wayfarers broke away from metal wireframes and introduced bold acetate shapes that echoed the optimism and modernity of post-war America. This was an era when the war was slowly disappearing into the rear-view mirror but its cultural legacy, particularly on fashion, remained.
Wayfarers became an instant hit, worn by music legends like Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, and Roy Orbison, all icons of the day. And when they were joined by film stars such as James Dean and Audrey Hepburn their prominence was not just secured but augmented by a counter-cultural association with rebellion and nonconformity.
Featuring in movies continued to underpin the popularity of Ray-Bans for the next few decades, with Tom Cruise repeatedly taking on roles that necessitated a smart pair of specs. Aviators in Top Gun echoed their origins, while Wayfarers in Risky Business secured their status in the 1980s.
As with anything successful, the copycats inevitably begin to circle, whether outright copying or bringing something new to the people who had previously worn Ray-Bans. This challenge saw Ray-Ban enter choppy waters for a brief spell before Bausch & Lomb eventually sold the brand to Italian eyewear giant Luxottica.
With a refreshed energy behind the brand, distribution grew and when Ray-Ban appointed A$AP Rocky as its first-ever creative director, it signalled a new era. And yet at its core, the brand retains relevance in popular culture through its position resting on the noses of the great and good musical and movie talent of the day.
See what Ray-Ban have to offer at Vision Express here
