The TRUTH About Designer Sunglasses

Sunglasses made by top designer brands have risen in popularity (and prices) but did you know that behind it all there's ONE company pulling the strings?

Subscribe to Future Proof!
Follow our SHORTS Channel!

Stay updated on our socials

For further reading, check out the sources for this video here:

Script: Jack Tickle-Atwell
Editor: Reid Valaitis + Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

Want to work with Future Proof? Get in touch:

[latristessdurera]

Fun fact. Commercial Pilots are no longer allowed to wear polarised sunglasses. At certain angles the polarisation blanks out the digital screens in the cockpit.

[spaghettisama]

I work as an optician and the one thing I can confirm is that pretty much every frame we get is sent to us by Luxottica. Ray-Bans, Polo Ralph Laurent, Armani, Vogue... All these brands come from Luxottica. And all our materials, lenses, and machines are all Essilor. Only corp name I see besides those two are Optiplus, which I do think is a Belgian company specifically.

[WouldntULikeToKnow.]

Thank you, macular degeneration runs in my family. My grandmother went blind for the last decade of her life and really struggled, so experiencing that is one of my greatest fears. But I still want to avoid giving my money to monopolies! I will definitely be checking out Sunski!

[benjaminwhite]

Had my wayfarers over 10 years now and despite really not taking care of them-they live in my rucksack that's used daily, and they don't often get put in the case, they've been dropped many times but apart from a few scratches to the frame they are in great condition. The lenses are a mineral glass so don't scratch, and the frame is a cut and shaped acetate (not injection plastic as mentioned) the plastic is sort of translucent red when held up to a very bright light on my black ones, it feels like a quality material in a way most plastics don't. The original wayfarer is the strongest, hardest wearing set of eyewear I've ever had my hands on. That said, not all raybans are as hard wearing, the carbon ones are prone to falling apart and a lot of the newer designs have plastic lenses and feature more injection moulding.

[louisrafaelcom]

I've had several aliexpress glasses tested by opticians and the lowest result was UV380. It doesn't make sense for a company to specifically run a factory line that doesn't comply. That would increase their costs more than simply producing UV-protective lenses across the board.

If you want to save money on sunglasses, order the cheap ones and have them tested — most opticians will test for free and it just takes a minute.

[lacrosse]

Costco is the go to place for these type of glasses. Bought a par of Maui Jim's for $99 when the normally retail for $250

[hhhenge]

I recently bought Akila sun glasses, LA based small company doing luxury quality sunglasses for around $120. Really pleased with them

[idraote]

I have an easy compromise.
I buy quality expensive glasses (I am in Italy, therefore Luxottica-Essilor are EVERYWHERE) but I choose an evergreen style for the frame.
If my retailer has them, I'll take something from an old collection and it will be cheaper.
I always go to the same retailer. They appreciate regular customers and they will go out of their way to treat me well.

Then there's maintenance.
Sunglasses are worn when it's hot.
Sweat is horribly acidic and it will ruin your glasses in no time. When I come home, I wash them in warm (not hot, just tepid) water with baby mild soap. It takes 90 seconds, it takes away all stains and it makes your glasses last.
I have had glasses for more than ten years and they look new.

[triadwarfare]

For those who are bragging that they still have functioning frames: I still use the same frame I had in 2016 and it was a generic no-brand name that cost $10 including compatible lens and prescription and I am still using it to this day.

I did have to replace the lens in 2019 though, because I needed to have my lenses corrected.

[SilverSamurai]

Good video.
As someone that used to work in optical, I'm glad you touched on luxxotica not simply raising prices and not caring about quality at all. Lots of people seem to think this is the case.
Not trying to excuse their practices (which suck btw), but if their stuff was junk, the major fashion brands (Dior, Armani, etc.) would leave. As you mentioned, they have a reputation to keep.
Unfortunately, the quality of Oakley's has sucked since the takeover. I'm hoping mine last for a loooong time.

[Blazerghost]

Finding sunglasses that fit is more of a struggle than avoiding luxottica. There are a lot of excellent smaller brands out there now.

[Budfrog]

I have several pairs of Ray Bans and they are decent but I recently bought a pair of Bolle Safety - Contour Safety Glasses - Polarised mainly for golf and cycling. I've been blown away by the quality and they don't look like safeties, and for a tad over £35 they are excellent value.

[floppybopnopfloppybopnop]

In that picture Dylan wasn't wearing Raybans. He did wear them at some point in 1965 a year before he found the slightly more chic and iconic glasses which I still haven't found.

[loganthecarguy]

I really liked this video but I feel it’s maybe a touch exaggerated although not far off. I personally work for Sunglass Hut and very much understand half of what we sell isn’t amazing quality for what you pay but there are brands that are an exception.

Persol, for example, is one brand that we sell that often integrates glass lenses and better yet most of the product is hand-made, with additional benefits like a modular arm that can expand to fit larger faces better. On sale, if you are patient you can get Persols for about $150-200 USD for a pair of fully handmade Italian glasses with huge historical significance, that better yet uses Acetate a much higher quality way of making plastic glasses is a very good deal. On top of that if you do end up breaking them we have a generous 1-year breakage warranty that allows you to have an allowance of half of what you originally paid for a pair of glasses towards any of your choice. Furthermore, you don't need to spend $200 on a pair of glasses through Luxottica, we have a lot of brands such as Polo, Arnette, and Vogue which often fall into the $100 if you aren't picky about models.

On top of that, I would like to mention Luxottica whilst owning a large market share doesn’t ultimately limit competition, there is still a very saturated amount of competitors which offer great sunglasses for great deals a favorite of mine right now is Kiaura eyewear, where prices can readily be available for around $150. Funny enough similarly priced to most of our Rayban's, similarly most brands that incorporate similar quality materials aren't that much cheaper if you are comparing apples to apples. This was very well touched upon till the end of the video but I feel this needs to be emphasized more because Luxottica ultimately doesn’t have influence to the extent that they are the only ones providing halfway decent sunglasses.

Lastly, I think something that is important is understanding how sunglasses are made, there is a technic called plastic injection which is what most Sunglasses incorporate, whilst you can buy a $50 pair of sunglasses the chances being are plastic injected is a more cost-effective way of producing pairs. Most nicer glasses are acetate which is a method that requires a lot more effort to produce but also makes your more expensive pairs more durable and prone to future wear, Acetate is a process that is furthermore complicated in the instance that you want frames in tortoise colors or unconventional colors, often requiring a high degree of physical input to produce. Whilst you are correct that UV 400 protection is readily available ultimately these lenses can’t be compared, factors such as the materials, lens category, and the polarisation technology aren’t great on cheaper pairs, so much to the extent I wouldn’t recommend cycling with cheaper pairs as your supermarket lenses often affect your depth perception, especially inexpensive polarised supermarket sunglasses.

[sheralbee]

I love love love my Sunski sunglasses, they are my first pair of good quality sunnies and are a game changer while driving. Plus they are a great shape and thus flattering worn. I’m coming around to not just believing but also practicing doing some reading/learning and investing in quality. As long as I am thoughtful with my quality items, I know they’ll last me a long while :)

[butchgreene]

Would have been nice to accompany the article with a list of companies NOT owned by Luxottica like Smith Optics, 100%, Rudy Project, Maui Jim, Spy Optics, etc

[simonhodgetts]

I bought some Persol folding sunglasses - not the Steve McQueen model, but the original style. They’re extremely well made, timeless, and will last decades. Bought 2nd hand for a fraction of the full price. Very happy with them!

[barbietripping]

🎉 congrats on your play button!

Even happier knowing I’ve been wearing Sunski for 4 years now

[journeymanedc]

Randolph Engineering makes phenomenal aviator sunglasses and offer a lifetime warranty on their frames which makes up for the high cost in my opinion. They're also one of the few higher end brands not under the Luxotica umbrella.

[bofud]

I'm not really a brand kinda guy. I do like some local brands but generally it's not something I pay a lot of attention to
I think I owned 20 different pair of sunglasses over the course of my 30 years on this planet. They kept breaking. I thought that's just me being silly, not treating them very well. So why would I go for expensive sunglasses if they'll only last me a year? Well one year my sunglasses broke again but this time it was very apparent that it was due to their low quality. They just disintegrated over time. Okay, I told myself, I'm gonna give this ONE shot and go for expensive sunglasses and see how long they'll last me. I didn't think it was gonna be a good economic decision for me because I'd have to basically wear them for 10+ years to justify the 150 euro price tag for a pair of original wayfarers. (calculating one 15 euro pair of sunglasses every year, which honestly was quite realistic) Anyway I bought them, knowing I'd probably take better care of a more luxury item. That was like 6 years ago and I've owned the same pair of wayfareres since then.
So by that calculation it's only 4 more years until it wasn't only a better ecologic but also a better economic decision to get expensive sunglasses.
Just thought this was an interesting observation. The reason they last longer I think, is split between on the one hand taking better care of them and on the other hand them being better quality.