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Ray-Ban History

Welcome to our brief guide to the history of Ray-Ban sunglasses. We all know the Ray-Ban brand, with its instantly recognisable logo being familiar to people from all corners of the globe, but where did Ray-Ban start we hear you ask? That's the burning question. How does a giant of the eyewear industry start out? What is the spark that ignited the fire that spread and spread, creating the Ray-Ban empire as we know it today? To answer the quesion about the roots of the Ray-Ban phenomenon we have to go back to the 1930's, 80 years ago, for those of you struggling with the maths!

Ray-Ban and that balloon flight

So, Ray-Ban's history all started when a chap went up in a hot air balloon and ended up damaging his eyes as a result of the intense sunshine. That chap was John A. Macready, a test pilot in the American Air Force. He was a force to be reckoned with in aviation circles, winning the coveted aviator award, the Mackay Trophy three years in a row, the first aviator to ever do that.

The first award was for a world altitude record, the next year was for an aviation duration record, and the third year, in 1922, was for a transcontinental record. All in all, the man behind the birth of Ray-Ban sunglasses, was an intelligent, brave, high-achieving individual.

Ray-Ban Anti-Glare

So, back to the hot air balloon flight. Once on land, he came up with the idea of getting made a pair of sunglasses that would offer peripheral protection from the harsh sun-rays, as well as look fashionable. He contacted the company Bausch and Lomb with his idea, and the were very interested in this new concept. So, the first pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses were a result of one man's idea on the back of a ballooning adventure.

Bausch and Lomb were keen on the idea to say the least. Within a a short period they had designed a pair of Ray-Bans with revolutionary anti-glare lenses and the first pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, the Ray-Ban aviator, was launched on the general public.

Within a short period of time, the Aviator became extremely popular with male and female sunglasses fans, and fast Ray-Ban sunglasses became a household name in the USA, if not the UK. Ray-Ban continued to push the technological boundaries of sunglasses innovation, and in the early 1950's, Ray-Ban history was made again, when they launched an acetate frame which they called the Ray-Ban Wayfarer. Completely different from the Aviator, this style of Ray-Ban was an instant hit within celebrity circles and normal folk alike.

With these two styles of sunglasses, Ray-Ban's place in history as a pioneer of sunglass design was cemented, and their amazing history all started with the ballooning adventure of Mr. John A. Macready. Today, Ray-Ban still continue to make history with their ground breaking technological innovations and breathtaking designs.