Originally engineered in 1936, aviator sunglasses were specially designed for pilots to protect their eyes while flying. Ray-Ban, the company who first manufactured the glasses, designed the glasses for the military and their pilots, but then released the aviator style glasses to the public the following year.
The Design
The aviator style sunglasses were designed in such a fashion that they protected the entire range of the eye, and not just from light glare. The lens was made large enough to cover the entire scope of the eye, to block light and wind from causing damage to the eye. The lens itself looks flat, but in actuality is slightly convex to help refract light. Often reflective, the color of lens is very dark, generally green in nature, and only allows about 20% of the incoming light to penetrate the glass. This means that only about 20% of the natural light surrounding the eye is allowed to reach the retina, cutting down on glare and eye damage.
Popularity
Even though the sunglasses have been around since the mid-30s, they didn’t become truly fashionable for another three decades. Pop icons such as the Beatles were seen sporting these trendy shades in the 60s, but by this time, aviator sunglasses had already made in impact on society. General Douglas MacArthur famously sported his Ray-Bans during World War II when he landed on the beach in the Philippines. The Americans weren’t the only ones sporting these shades during World War II either. The French army was issued the same sunglasses, and their popularity grew rapidly within the French military ranks.
Many police officers were seen wearing Ray-Bans, as was the case in the late 70s and early 80s, when shows like ChiPS and T.J. Hooker showed police officers in Ray-Bans. In the movies, celebrities began sporting Ray-Bans as a demonstration of the ultimate coolness. Tom Cruise almost single-handedly brought the style back to the forefront of fashion in the movie, Top Gun. Sylvester Stallone added to the craze in several of his movies. Fashion forward individuals mimicked their favorite TV and movie stars and rushed to purchase their own pair of aviator sunglasses.
During the late 80s and into the 90s, the style saw a decline in popularity, but with the show Jackass, Johnny Knoxville, as well as other hip new artists, began sporting these shades, Ray-Ban once again became the icon of the hip and trendy.
Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses and other Ray-Ban styles are available at your local eyeglass retail store. Be hip with a pair of aviators, and protect your eyes from sun damage too.