History of Oakley

Oakley Headquarter

Oakley was started by Jim Jannard in 1975 in his garage with an initial investment of $300. The name Oakley came from Jannard's dog, an English Setter. Jannard began by selling what he called 'The Oakley Grip' out of the back of his car at motocross events. His motorcycle grips were unlike other grips available at the time, using a patented material known as UNOBTANIUM(TM), a unique creation by Jannard. The material is still used to make the earsocks on Oakley glasses, and many of the nose pieces. Oakley went on to produce number plates, gloves, grips, elbow guards, chin guards, and goggles for the BMX and Motocross communities.

In 1980, Jannard released a pair of goggles called the O-Frame. With the 'Oakley' logo present on the strap, the brand garnered increasing recognition and prominence throughout the Sports World. In 1983 Oakley began selling ski goggles.

The first Oakley sunglasses, Factory Pilot Eyeshades, were sport-oriented, resembling goggles. These were followed by the Oakley Frogskin, a casual sunglass style.

The company went public in 1995, after Jannard gave himself a bonus of $21 million. He kept 64.8 % of Oakley Inc. which was valued at about $820 million. Thanks to his very successful business, Jannard became the second richest Orange County resident with holdings valued at $627 million.

In 1999, Oakley added industry veteran Jim Stroesser from Nike Inc. to the their senior executive team as the head of sales for sunglasses, prescription eyewear, shoes, apparel and watches. Global sales grew from $200 million to over $400 million in 2001 as Oakley was established as a world brand.

Oakley signed a four-year agreement to manufacture eyewear designed by it and Fox Racing in September 2004.

In 2006, Oakley acquired the Oliver Peoples group, a manufacturer of high-end fashion branded eyewear.

On June 21, 2007, Italian group Luxottica announced a plan to merge with Oakley in a cash deal worth $2.1 billion, and the deal was completed on November 15, 2007. Oakley is now in the portfolio of Milan-based Luxottica group, along with other brands such as Ray-Ban, Persol, and Vogue.

During the preparations for the ultimately successful rescue of 33 miners trapped for 10 weeks in a Chilean mine in October 2010, a journalist covering the story contacted Oakley about donating sunglasses to the rescue effort, aware that the miners would need eye protection after having spent weeks in darkness. Oakley donated 35 pairs of its Radar sports glasses, fitted with specially selected tints. The glasses normally retail for US$260 per pair.

Oakley maintains a large sports team roster that includes some of the World's top athletes in various sports. A few notable examples include: Shaun White, Ichiro Suzuki, Dorien Walker, Lance Armstrong, Ricky Carmichael, James "Bubba" Stewart, Gretchen Bleiler, Ian Poulter, Rory McIlroy, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Dario Franchitti. Some past notable Oakley athletes include Michael Jordan, David Duval, Jon Olsson and Eric Koston. Most of Oakley's technological designs, fashion pieces, gear, etc. were developed with extensive athlete input and testing.


Oakley also maintains US Standard Issue, which provides US military and law enforcement eye protection. Very popular amongst US combat troops, Oakley M Frame sunglasses are included as part of the US Army Approved Protective Eyewear List (APEL), and have been assigned an NSN number for ordering through military supply channels.

Info via : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakley,_Inc




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