Brand Overview

Ray-Ban brand of eyewear developed out of a patent for a type of sunglasses, symbolic of the heroes of the Second World War because they were worn by General Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of Allied forces in the Pacific during the Second World War. From the years following WWII to the present day, they have become a sort of status symbol of Americanism in fashion and in aesthetics.

Time magazine included them in a collection of icons of Americanism: Coca-Cola, Harley Davidson, and Heinz Tomato Ketchup. After authentic heroes, it was the turn of movie heroes to become the more-or-less involuntary spokesmen for Ray-Ban: Marlon Brando and James Dean, Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd in Blues Brothers, Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Among the best known models are the Large Metals, the Wayfarers, the Shooters, and the Outdoorsman, the Baloramas, and the Olympias. Ray-Ban Sunglasses have made many appearances in Hollywood films. In the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany's Audrey Hepburn famously wore Ray-Ban sungalsses.