Oakley was first started by Jim Jannard in 1975. Jannard began by selling what he called 'The Oakley Grip' out of the back of his car at motocross events. According to their company website, Oakley was founded in Jannard's garage in 1975 with $300. His motorcycle girps were unlike other grips riders had seen at the time.
Although the grips were successful, they were most of the time hidden in the palms of motocross riders as they competed, and thus they did not have a good level of exposure (most people have heard of it, but did not know what they were). It was then in 1980 did Jannard release a pair of goggles called the O-Frame. With the 'Oakley' logo present on the strap, onlookers could now recognize the brand. In 1984, Oakley introduced the Factory Pilot, which were sunglasses in the same shape as the O-Frame, but made of plastic. They also had removable lenses, and were popularized by Tour de France winner Greg LeMond and other professional cyclists. Soon after, Oakley introduced several models of sunglasses, including the Blades, Razor Blades, Frogskins, and the Mumbos, which eventually evolved into the M-Frame series of glasses.
On June 21, 2007, Italian group Luxottica announced a plan to merge with Oakley in a cash deal worth $2.1 billion, and the deal was completed on November 15, 2007. Oakley is now in the portfolio of Luxottica group (located in Milan, Italy) with other brands like Ray Ban, Persol, and Vogue among others.
The Oakley Corporation also owns Dragon and manufactures eyewear for Fox Racing. In 2006, Oakley acquired the Oliver Peoples group, a manufacturer of high-end fashion branded eyewear.
Although the grips were successful, they were most of the time hidden in the palms of motocross riders as they competed, and thus they did not have a good level of exposure (most people have heard of it, but did not know what they were). It was then in 1980 did Jannard release a pair of goggles called the O-Frame. With the 'Oakley' logo present on the strap, onlookers could now recognize the brand. In 1984, Oakley introduced the Factory Pilot, which were sunglasses in the same shape as the O-Frame, but made of plastic. They also had removable lenses, and were popularized by Tour de France winner Greg LeMond and other professional cyclists. Soon after, Oakley introduced several models of sunglasses, including the Blades, Razor Blades, Frogskins, and the Mumbos, which eventually evolved into the M-Frame series of glasses.
On June 21, 2007, Italian group Luxottica announced a plan to merge with Oakley in a cash deal worth $2.1 billion, and the deal was completed on November 15, 2007. Oakley is now in the portfolio of Luxottica group (located in Milan, Italy) with other brands like Ray Ban, Persol, and Vogue among others.
The Oakley Corporation also owns Dragon and manufactures eyewear for Fox Racing. In 2006, Oakley acquired the Oliver Peoples group, a manufacturer of high-end fashion branded eyewear.
