Editing Ray-Ban

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Short description|Eyewear company owned by EssilorLuxottica}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Ray-Ban
| logo = Ray-Ban logo.svg
| image = Ray Ban building, Milan, Italy (9474255598).jpg
| image_caption = Headquarters in [[Milan]], Italy
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| industry = [[Eyewear]]
| foundation = {{start date and age|1936}}<br />in [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]], [[New York (state)|New York]],<br />United States
| location_city = [[Milan]]
| location_country = Italy
| area_served = Worldwide
| products = {{ubl|[[Sunglasses]]|[[Eyeglasses]]}}
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| num_employees = <!-- Please cite a reliable source if entering data here -->
| parent = [[Luxottica|Luxottica Group]]
| divisions = 
| owner = 
| homepage = {{URL|ray-ban.com}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Ray-Ban''' is a brand of luxury [[sunglasses]] and [[eyeglasses]] created in 1936 by [[Bausch & Lomb]]. The brand is best known for its [[Ray-Ban Wayfarer|Wayfarer]] and [[Aviator sunglasses|Aviator]] lines of sunglasses. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to Italian eyewear conglomerate [[Luxottica|Luxottica Group]] for a reported $640 million.<ref name="nytimes stub"/><ref>{{Cite news |first=Laura|last= Johannes|title=Bausch to Sell Sunglasses Business To Rival Luxottica for $640 Million |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB925305628455258612 |access-date=March 9, 2023 |newspaper=Wall Street Journal |date= April 29, 1999|language=en-US}}</ref>
==History==
In 1929, [[US Army Air Corps]] Colonel [[John A. Macready]] worked with [[Bausch & Lomb]], a Rochester, New York–based medical equipment manufacturer, to create aviation sunglasses that would reduce the distraction for pilots caused by the intense blue and white hues of the sky.<ref name="NYT 2012" /><ref name="The best ever Ray-Bans" /><ref name="BI 2016" />

Specifically, Macready was concerned that pilots' goggles would fog up, greatly reducing visibility at high altitude.<ref name=BBC /> The prototype, created in 1936 and known as "Anti-Glare", had plastic frames and green lenses that could cut out the glare without obscuring vision. The name "Ray-Ban" was hence derived from the ability of these glasses to limit the ingress of either [[Ultraviolet|ultra-violet]] or infra-red rays of light.<ref name="Name Origin" /> Impact-resistant lenses were added in 1938.<ref name=UVU /> The sunglasses were redesigned with a metal frame the following year and patented as the Ray-Ban Aviator.<ref name=BBC /> According to the [[BBC]], the glasses used "Kalichrome lenses designed to sharpen details and minimise haze by filtering out blue light, making them ideal for misty conditions."<ref name=BBC />

In 2025, [[ASAP Rocky]] was appointed the brand's first-ever [[creative director]].<ref name="Blanchet">{{cite news |last1=Blanchet |first1=Brenton |date=February 21, 2025 |title=A$AP Rocky Named Ray-Ban's First-Ever Creative Director 3 Days After Felony Assault Acquittal |url=https://people.com/asap-rocky-named-ray-ban-first-ever-creative-director-11684038 |work=People}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=21 February 2025 |title=A$AP Rocky Appointed as Ray-Ban's First Creative Director Releasing his new “Black |url=https://hypebeast.com/2025/2/aap-rocky-appointed-as-ray-bans-first-creative-director |work=Hypebeast}}</ref>

==Product lines==
Ray-Ban's most popular sunglasses are the [[Ray-Ban Wayfarer|Wayfarer]], [https://www.ray-ban.com/usa/sunglasses/RB4171%20UNISEX%20erika%20color%20mix-black/8053672460773 Erika], and [[Aviator sunglasses|Aviator]] models.<ref name=BBC /><ref name="auto" /><ref name="Shilling" /> During the 1950s, Ray-Ban released the Echelon (Caravan), which had a squarer frame. In 1965, the Olympian I and II were introduced; they became popular when [[Peter Fonda]] wore them in the 1969 film ''[[Easy Rider]]''.<ref name="easy rider" /> The company has also produced special edition lines, such as The General in 1987, bearing similarity to the original aviators worn by [[General Douglas MacArthur]] during the [[Second World War]].<ref name=UVU />
In the 1980s the Ray-Ban Clubmaster was added to the model line.<ref name="history" /> The Clubmaster has a [[Browline glasses|browline frame]] and went on to become the third best selling sunglasses style of the 1980s, behind the [[Ray-Ban Wayfarer|Wayfarer]] and [[Aviator sunglasses|Aviator]].<ref name=brow /> 

In 2007, Luxottica Group launched Ray-Ban Youth, a collection of prescription eyewear aimed at children ages eight through twelve. Modeled after popular adult Ray-Bans styles, these hypoallergenic titanium frames featured both neutral and bold colorways as well as sturdy flex hinges.<ref>{{Cite web |last=CMSBulkImportService |title=Luxottica: Ray-Ban Youth |url=https://www.2020mag.com/article/luxottica-ray-ban-youth |access-date=February 14, 2023 |website=www.2020mag.com}}</ref>

In 2009, Luxottica released the Ray-Ban Tech collection, which included the Carbon Fibre line. This line of sunglasses were factory stress-tested and designed to be durable and lightweight, and featured polarized lenses of polycarbonate or crystal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nicola |first=Gloria |date=September 2009 |title=Luxottica: Ray-Ban Tech Collection |pages=104 |work=20/20 Magazine |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,guest&custid=s4858255&groupid=main&profile=eds&direct=true&db=bth&AN=44447577&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref>

On the brand's website, Ray-Ban also offers the option to customize and purchase individual pairs of many of their popular styles, giving buyers express choice between frames, lenses, and engraving, among other options.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Deirdre |date=June 16, 2014 |title=Making It One of a Kind |pages=10–11 |work=Vision Monday |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=96719340&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=March 8, 2023}}</ref>

In 2021, Ray-Ban commercialized a model of [[smart glasses]] that they developed with [[Facebook Reality Labs]] called [[Ray-Ban Stories]].<ref name="FRL" /><ref name="Stories" /> Building on recent trends of wearable technology, the glasses feature a built-in camera and Bluetooth earphones.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Adriana |date=September 10, 2021 |title=Facebook Reveals Smartglasses: Ray-Ban Stories |pages=26–27 |work=Women's Wear Daily |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=152407124&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> Like other wearable, camera-equipped tech, Ray-Ban Stories have come under scrutiny for their susceptibility to privacy issues and potential for misuse.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2021 |title=In Totally Shocking News, Facebook's Smart Glasses Are The Subject Of A Privacy Investigation |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2021/09/ray-bans-stories-investigation-facebook-privacy-watchdog/ |access-date=March 9, 2023 |website=Gizmodo Australia |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Counterfeits ==
Like other luxury brands, Ray-Ban has been a notable target for retail counterfeiters. The advertisement of Ray-Bans for unrealistically low prices has been consistently linked to fraudulent websites peddling counterfeit products. Studies have shown that one of every four ads for discounted luxury products on Facebook links users to such sites.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bloomberg |first=Daniele Lepido |date=November 15, 2014 |title=Many web ads lead to firms selling fake designer goods |work=The Hamilton Spectator |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,guest&custid=s4858255&groupid=main&profile=eds&direct=true&db=pwh&AN=Q4KHSON2014111531305475&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> Ray-Bans are often involved in international seizures of counterfeit designer goods. For one example, in 2016, law enforcement in Thailand seized an alleged import of hundreds of thousands of counterfeit sunglasses including Ray-Bans and Oakleys (also owned by Luxottica Group). Counterfeiters were said to have applied tags and stickers to the fakes to deceive consumers about their authenticity.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 3, 2016 |title=Thai police seize almost 900,000 counterfeit sunglasses |work=The Canadian Press |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,guest&custid=s4858255&groupid=main&profile=eds&direct=true&db=pwh&AN=MYO122169014516&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref>

Luxottica has taken measures to thwart the trade of counterfeit products, such as converting the India Ray-Ban website from a reference site to  functional e-commerce platform, and pursuing legal action against online retailers that market fake Ray-Ban products.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 17, 2016 |title=Ray-Ban converts India website into ecommerce platform to curb fakes |pages=8–9 |work=FRPT Retail Industry Snapshot |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,guest&custid=s4858255&groupid=main&profile=eds&direct=true&db=bth&AN=118519029&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref> In 2016, Luxottica introduced a "Minimum Advertised Price (MAP)" policy for Ray-Ban in contracts with their wholesale customers. While the policy does not name a specific minimum price point, it forbids the advertisement of Ray-Ban products at extreme discounts, as well as any advertising that could otherwise devalue the products.<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 11, 2016 |title=New Efforts to Protect Ray-Ban, Include New Minimum Advertised Price Policy |pages=16 |work=Vision Monday |url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,guest&custid=s4858255&groupid=main&profile=eds&direct=true&db=bth&AN=114556739&site=eds-live&scope=site |access-date=February 20, 2023}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:RayBanAviator.jpg|Ray-Ban 3025 Large Metal Aviator <small>(polarized lenses)</small>
File:Ray-Ban Aviator Shooter RB3139-001 3N (G-15 lenses) Size 62 09 160 Lens base 6.jpg|Ray-Ban 3139 Shooter <small>(G-15 lenses)</small>
File:Ray-Ban W1663 Outdoorsman B-20 Chromax.jpg|Ray-Ban W163 Outdoorsman <small>(B-20 Chromax lenses)</small>
File:B&L Ray-Ban Leathers Outdoorsman II.jpg|Ray-Ban Leathers Outdoorsman II <small>(G-15 lenses)</small>
File:1968 Ray Ban Advertisement.jpg|1968 Ray-Ban Outdoorsman advertisement
File:RayBanWayfarer.jpg|Ray-Ban 2132 901L Wayfarer
File:Ray-Ban Clubmaster 3016.jpg|Ray-Ban 3016 Clubmaster
File:Ray-Ban Round Icons.jpg|Ray-Ban 2447 Round Fleck Icons
File:Ray Ban Glasses.jpg|Ray-Ban 5277 prescription eyeglasses frame
File:Ray-Ban Clubround Sunglasses.jpg|Ray-Ban 4246 Clubround sunglasses in colours of black and gold
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Persol]]
*[[Warby Parker]]
*[[Oliver Goldsmith (company)|Oliver Goldsmith]]
*[[Gentle Monster]]

==References==

{{Reflist|
refs=
<ref name="nytimes stub">{{cite news |title=Company News: Bausch & Lomb Selling Sunglass Business to Luxottica |newspaper=NY Times |date=April 29, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/29/business/company-news-bausch-lomb-selling-sunglass-business-to-luxottica.html |access-date=September 5, 2010}}</ref>
<ref name="NYT 2012">{{cite news|author1=Pagan Kennedy|title=Who Made Those Aviator Sunglasses?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/magazine/who-made-those-aviator-sunglasses.html|newspaper=New York Times|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120821234151/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/magazine/who-made-those-aviator-sunglasses.html|archive-date=August 21, 2012|language=en|date=August 3, 2012|quote=And so Macready began working with Bausch & Lomb to design goggles especially suited to protect against the dazzle in the stratosphere. “My dad gave Bausch & Lomb the original shape, tint and fit” of aviator lenses, Wallace said.}}</ref>
<ref name="The best ever Ray-Bans">{{cite web|url=http://www.menshealth.co.uk/style/glasses/the-best-ray-bans-2012|title=The best ever ray-bans|access-date=June 17, 2013|archive-date=November 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122225004/http://www.menshealth.co.uk/style/glasses/the-best-ray-bans-2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="BI 2016">{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/rayban-military-history-2016-6/|title=You can thank the US military for the world's most famous sunglasses|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref>
<ref name=BBC>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150708-the-enduring-appeal-of-aviator-sunglasses|title=The enduring appeal of aviator sunglasses|first=Katya|last=Foreman}}</ref>
<ref name="Name Origin">{{Cite web|url=https://highnames.com/ray-ban-name-origin/|title=What is the name origin of the Ray-Ban brand?|website=High Names|date=March 22, 2013|language=en-gb|access-date=July 27, 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="auto">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJAIq0P4Mv0C|title=101 Things to Buy Before You Die|first1=Charlotte|last1=Williamson|first2=Maggie|last2=Davis|date=September 1, 2007|publisher=New Holland Publishers|isbn=9781845378851|via=Google Books}}</ref>
<ref name="Shilling">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fj5unLZwg0QC|title=A Photographic History of Bausch + Lomb|first=Donovan A.|last=Shilling|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=Pancoast Publishing|isbn=9780983849605|via=Google Books}}</ref>
<ref name="easy rider">{{cite web|url=http://moviepilot.com/posts/2014/11/14/mad-men-don-draper-meets-peter-fonda-in-easy-rider-1969-2435622|title=Mad Men Don Draper Meets Peter Fonda in Easy Rider (1969)|date=November 14, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
<ref name=UVU>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1324243.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018221210/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1324243.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 18, 2016|title=Fashion Notes|date=May 24, 1987}}</ref>
<ref name="history">[http://www.luxottica.com/sites/luxottica.com/files/ray-ban_history_en.pdf RAY-BAN: THE HISTORY OF THE TOP-SELLING EYEWEAR BRAND WORLDWIDE]</ref>
<ref name=brow>{{cite web|last=Fassel |first=Preston |url=http://www.opticianshandbook.com/hindsight-is-2020-the-browline.aspx |title=Hindsight is 20/20: The Browline |publisher=The Optician's Handbook |access-date=June 10, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="FRL">{{Cite web|url=https://7news.com.au/technology/facebook-and-ray-ban-roll-out-449-smart-glasses-that-film-and-photograph-what-you-look-at-c-3923990|title = Ray-Ban and Facebook roll out smart sunglasses that can film everything you look at|date = September 9, 2021}}</ref>
<ref name="Stories">{{cite web |url=https://www.luxottica.com/en/ray-ban-stories |title=RAY-BAN STORIES}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Commons category inline|Ray-Ban}}

[[Category:Luxottica]]
[[Category:Sunglasses]]
[[Category:Eyewear brands of the United States]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1936]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1936]]
[[Category:Eyewear companies of the United States]]
[[Category:1936 establishments in New York (state)]]