The hot accessory of the 80s - the Risky Business/Breakfast at Tiffany's sunglasses - are being relaunched, and look better than ever.
After it was introduced in 1952, it took almost a decade for Ray-Ban Wayfarer to achieve fashion icon status after Audrey Hepburn’s Holly Golightly “breakfasted” outside the windows at Tiffany’s in 1961 in a Givenchy LBD, pearls - and a pair of classic Wayfarers. Dan Aykroyd & John Belushi rocked Wayfarers as The Blues Brothers (1980), as did Madonna, Deborah Harry of Blondie, Elvis Costello, The Smiths' Johnny Marr, members of U2, and, of course, Tom Cruise in 1983’s Risky Business.
The 70 year old label is now re-branding, taking advantage of their longtime links to hip music & movies. "When we began to look at how we wanted to strategically position the brand, we came to an easy and natural conclusion that in the history of our product we have a gold mine," Marcello Favagrossa, Ray-Ban's brand director recently told WWD. "So now what we are trying to do is dig out the gold nuggets. But the challenge behind promoting a history of a brand is how do you convey the message that it's always modern? Then we began addressing the brand's longtime association with rock 'n' roll, and we realized it would be a perfect thing to focus on. We wanted to stress the American DNA of the brand, but also let it be a bit rough around the edges."
Interestingly, when WWD compiled its WWD 100, Ray-Ban was the fifth most recognized accessory (after Liz Claiborne, Nine West, Gucci and Coach). "In the mid-Nineties, many historians claimed it was the most widely sold sunglass in history," says Favagrossa. "The iconography of the brand is closely linked with the movie industry, as well as the music industry. And that created a magic that has moved with the brand. But when we acquired it, the business results were not as healthy as the image and reputation,” explains Fabio D'Angeloantonio, group marketing director of Luxottica which acquired the Ray-Ban from Bausch & Lomb in 1999.
The new Ray-Ban Wayfarer will debut in Europe this month, and will be available in the U.S. in January 2007 at select department stores and chains such as LensCrafters and Sunglass Hut, priced at $130 ($180 for polarized lenses). In relaunching the original Wayfarer, the company spared no efforts to get the details right: the logo on the temple, slant of the lenses, the particular acetate used, construction, and even the hinges. "We had to find the hinges that were similar to those used on the original," explains D'Angeloantonio. "No one was making them anymore, so we had to develop them." In addition to original black and tortoise options, the company is also offering versions in red and white – with the possibility of more colors in the works.
