Ray-Ban

Infobox Company
company_name = Ray-Ban
company_
company_type = Subsidiary of Luxottica Group S.p.a.
foundation = 1937
founder = Bausch & Lomb
location_city = Agordo, Veneto
location_country = Italy
key_people =
products = High End Eyewear and Sunglasses
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
divisions =
subsid =
company_slogan = Genuine since 1937
homepage = [http://www.ray-ban.com www.ray-ban.com]
footnotes =

Ray-Ban is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937 [ [http://www.ray-ban.com/Welcome.html Ray-Ban company website] ] by Bausch & Lomb. They were introduced for the United States Air Force [ [http://www.historyofbranding.com/rayban.html History of Ray-Ban] ] . In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars [ [http://dellamoda.it/fashion_dictionary/r/rayban.php Fashion Dictionary Ray-Ban] ] .

History

Ray-Bans were initially created in 1937 after Lieutenant John MacCready had returned from a balloon flying adventure in 1920. He complained that the sun had done permanent damage to his eyes. He contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create a type of sunglasses that would not only provide superb protection, but also look elegant. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb officially took out the patent [ [http://dellamoda.it/fashion_dictionary/r/rayban.php Fashion Dictionary Ray-Ban] ] . The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, consisted of an extremely light frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with two green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Air Force immediately adopted the sunglasses [ [http://dellamoda.it/fashion_dictionary/r/rayban.php Fashion Dictionary Ray-Ban] ] .The Ray-Ban Aviator became a well-known style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them. [ [http://dellamoda.it/fashion_dictionary/r/rayban.php Fashion Dictionary Ray-Ban] ]

Entertainment

Hundreds of Ray-Ban Sunglasses have made appearances in Hollywood films; the first dates back to the 1961 movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly [ [http://www.ray-ban.com/USA/home.asp Ray-Ban company website] ] . Later, the popularity of Ray-Ban sunglasses was confirmed in the Hollywood hit Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi [http://www.ray-ban.com/USA/home.asp] . Later, Tom Cruise added his own contribution in the 1983 hit Risky Business [ [http://www.ray-ban.com/USA/home.asp Ray-Ban company website] ] . In the 1997 box office hit Men in Black, Will Smith also made Ray-Ban appeal to even more people with a reference to the sunglasses. Along with the movie, Smith also made Ray Bans more appealing to young people in his rap song Men in Black.

American democratic nominee Barack Obama has also been repeatedly photographed wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses including on the cover of Ebony magazine.

Honda F1 Racing Team

In July 2004, Ray-Ban officially became partners with the Honda Racing F1 Team. For 2006 and years to follow, the distinctive Ray-Ban signature will continue to appear on the cockpit sides of the Honda Racing F1 Team’s RA106 race car throughout the season, along with a new prominent position on the helmet visors of race drivers Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, and third driver Anthony Davidson [http://www.f1technical.net/news/1990 Honda Racing News] . Honda Racing F1 Team members wore the Ray-Ban 4075 sunglasses model from its spring and summer 2006 sun collection [ [http://www.f1technical.net/news/1990 F1 Technical Ray-Ban extends partnership with Honda] ] .

undance Film Festival

Ray-Ban has been partnering the annual Sundance Film Festival for independent filmmakers since 2003. Each year, the Ray-Ban Visionary award is given to an individual whose work in the film industry showcases vision, imagination and originality [ [http://www.ray-ban.com/USA/home.asp Ray-Ban company website] ] . People who receive the award are dedicated individuals who possess extraordinary passion, creativity, and leadership. Previous award winners include Quentin Tarantino, Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Colin Callender and Mark Ordesky [ [http://www.ray-ban.com/USA/home.asp Ray-Ban company website] ] .

ee also

*Ray-Ban Aviator
*Ray-Ban Wayfarer
*Sunglass Hut - also owned by Luxottica and features Ray-Ban

References