Ray Ban Story

Ray-Ban is a manufacturer of sunglasses, founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb.

They were introduced for the United States Air Force. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb
sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported 1.2 billion dollars.

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. 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. 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.

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 Honda Racing News.

Honda Racing F1 Team members wore the Ray-Ban 4075 sunglasses model from its spring
and summer 2006 sun collection.

Sundance 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. 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.