Eyeglasses.com Blog

‘Sports’

Established in 1975 and headquartered in Southern California, Oakley is one of the leading sports sunglasses in the world. The global branding campaign kicked off last week with a party at the Oakley SoHo store to celebrate collaborations between artists and the Olympic athletes who inspired them. The evening’s event at the Oakley SoHo store featured 2008 Olympic gold medalist decathlete Bryan Clay and prominent artist Natalie Frank premiering a specially-commissioned BEYOND REASON art piece to showcase creatively how elite athletes approach their performance through a distinct, personal lens.

During the 100 days leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Oakley will partner its international family of athletes with artists to launch Beyond Reason. In addition to Clay and Natalie’s partnership, other Olympians participating in the Beyond Reason campaign include U.S. sprinter Lolo Jones, U.S. beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh, British cyclist Mark Cavendish, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, Australian cyclist Cadel Evans and Spanish triathlete Javier Gomez.

BEYOND REASON exemplifies the driving attitude that fuels and fires Oakley athletes to exceed the limits of possibility. “The Beyond Reason mentality is what drives, inspires and fuels me to push myself every minute of every day to perform at the highest levels,” said Clay. “Working with Oakley and Natalie on this Beyond Reason art gave me an outlet to showcase my mental approach to performance and how I view challenges—not as barriers, but as boundaries that can and will be pushed.”

As part of the lead-up to the BEYOND REASON unveiling, Clay and Frank spent time discussing passion points and motivations that fuel Clay’s iconic performances. Frank’s ‘Portrait (Shot Put)’ represents Clay’s embodiment of the surreal, defiant and continual transformation of consciousness needed to become the greatest athlete in the world. In addition to the Bryan Clay / Natalie Frank collaboration, Oakley will unveil an artistic collaboration between Lolo Jones and Sarah Olson. The creation is titled, ‘Run Lolo Run.’

Throughout spring 2012, Oakley will continue to partner its athletes with artists around the world. The art pieces inspired by each athlete’s Beyond Reason vision will be displayed at the London Design Museum on July 26, 2012, the night before the opening Olympic ceremonies, for a special gala to celebrate Beyond Reason and the Oakley athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics. In addition to the Clay/Frank collaboration, Oakley will unveil an artistic collaboration between Lolo Jones and Sarah Olson.

Alongside the launch of the brand’s Beyond Reason campaign, Oakley will debut RadarLock, a performance sunglass designed to deliver comfort, performance and protection for athletes at any level. Switchlock Technology featured in RadarLock allows athletes to change lenses quickly and easily, enabling them to match their vision to the environment.