RAY BAN WAYFARER HISTORY

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THE HISTORY OF RAY BAN WAYFARER SUNGLASSESThe Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a design of sunglasses manufactured by Ray-Ban since 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 1982 product placement deal 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 (although Ray-Ban Aviators have also been credited with this achievement) and have been called a classic of modern design and one of the most enduring fashion icons of the 20th century. Wayfarers were designed in 1952 by optical designer Raymond Stegeman, who procured dozens of patents for Bausch and Lomb, Ray-Ban's parent company. The design was a radically new shape, "a mid-century classic to rival Eames chairs and Cadillac tail fins."According to design critic Stephen Bayley, the "distinctive trapezoidal frame 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.After Wayfarers' heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, sales declined. Though Wayfarers were worn in the 1980 movie The 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, to place 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 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year. By 1986, after appearances in MIAMI VICE, Moonlighting, and The Breakfast Club, sales had reached 1.5 million.Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Michael Jackson, Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Madonna, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, and members of U2, and among other celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and even Anna Wintour. Bret Easton Ellis' fiction often name-dropped references to Wayfarers, and Don 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 by 1989,and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.Ray-Ban New Wayfarer sunglasses 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 from acetate to a lighter injected 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).Wayfarers were brought back into fashion in the late 2000s when celebrities including Chloë Sevigny and Mary-Kate Olsen began 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 like MySpace to connect with consumers. Sales in 2007 were 231% greater than in 2006 at Selfridge's London; as of October 2007, the Wayfarer was the Luxottica 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.(This information was obtained from Wikipedia, The photos are mine.)

[COOPER&BURNETT]

This is a vintage pair of RAY BAN WAYFARERs that my father owned. I don't know if these pair were from the 50's, 60's, or 70's.According to the numbers stamped into the frame, it's an early 5022, which is the same number as the 80's version that Crockett wore.

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These are not wayfarers, but they are vintage raybans that my mother wore (not sure what vintage these are from either, guessing 60's).

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B & L RAY BAN U.S.A.

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B & L RAY BAN U.S.A.

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Here's my 1985 wayfarers, and my father's vintage wayfarers side by side.

[maynard]

The side ear piece on your fathers looks thinner that the ones I bought in 1986 and 1994, both marked 5022...which might be the lense description.

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I don't believe 5022 is the lenses size, I believe it to be the model number of the sunglasses. His vintage pair fit really well. It appears to utilize the same g-15 grey / green lenses that are in the 80's versions.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

My father's pair has no chips, or scratches on the lenses. The sunglasses were obviously well cared for.I wonder if they have any value?

[maynard]

Wish things made today would last that long! Its amazing how they didn't change the style for that many years, unlike today where it changes constantly.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Exactly.I've worn them for two days now, and they fit fantastic. I'm sure these are nearly mint.I guess this is a timeless style. Some co workers told me that they really like the thinner temples on these sunglasses.

[maynard]

Had a pair of these, wish I had known at the time you could buy replacement temples. They call it the 4115, they called them ballarama or something when I had them.

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Maynard, what happened to them? Where are they now?Also, I've looked online for ray ban wayfarers that have the thin temples like my father's, but all the one's I see that are listed from the 50's, 60's, and 70's ALL have the flared temples.Is mine a rare version?

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Maynard' date=' what happened to them? Where are they now?Also, I've looked online for ray ban wayfarers that have the thin temples like my father's, but all the one's I see that are listed from the 50's, 60's, and 70's ALL have the flared temples.Is mine a rare version?[/quote']Maynard, what happened to your glasses?

[maynard]

They must be...I don't remember seeing any like them.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

Had a pair of these' date=' wish I had known at the time you could buy replacement temples. They call it the 4115, they called them ballarama or something when I had them.[/color']

Maynard,What happened to your glasses? Did they get broken?

[maynard]

The side temples broke and I misplaced them over the years...guess the temple fairy got them.

[COOPER&BURNETT]

The side temples broke and I misplaced them over the years...guess the temple fairy got them.

Maynard, didn't you know that if you had put those sunglasses under your pillow at night, in the morning, the temple fairy would have given you a shiny new pair of sunglasses?