How sporty sunglasses became super-smart
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Sporty sunglasses have become an unexpectedly favoured accessory, and not only among sporty people. Once the domain of cyclists or warehouse revellers, it’s become increasingly common to wear a suit with stealthy wraparound shades.
According to stylist Kit Swann, the style has been resurfacing in fashion circles since 2018 – when Oakley-style wraparounds accented the Louis Vuitton, Margiela and Marine Serre runway collections. It’s since become fully mainstream with brands such as Prada, Loewe and Burberry offering their own take.

Renato Montagner, creative director of Tag Heuer eyewear, points to the brand’s Shield Pro as a good example. “That model is really attracting people from sports like cycling and running, but also for use on catwalks and the red carpet. Our ambassador [actor-turned-motor racer] Patrick Dempsey wears that style for biking – but told me his kids like them too.”
Nick Garfias, vice-president of design for Oakley, says there was a targeted campaign by the brand to broaden the style’s reach. “When I joined it was a very aggressive [male] brand, about sport and kicking ass,” he says. “That provoked us to actually go after the people that don’t like our brand for that reason, and become more calculated about what we did to our shapes to make them feel more accepting – and not just fit one big man’s head.”

Garfias felt the shift happening when Vetements called in some pairs for its SS19 show; he also cites a Samuel Ross collaboration as another recent highlight. Oakley has worked on collaborations with Palace, Satisfy and Brain Dead too. As a result, sales of its models such as the Radar EV Path and especially the Eye Jacket Redux have soared. “High-wrap twin lenses [like the Eye Jacket] are starting to rise,” says Garfias. “The ’90s trend is slowly tapering off, and now we’re in the beginning of the 2000s.”
Toronto-based photographer and designer Pat O’Rourke wears he calls “fast-looking” shades most days, regardless of what else he’s wearing. “If I’m wearing a button-up shirt or something more formal on its own, it just doesn’t really feel like me,” he says. “This way, I can add a sporty, colourful element to make it more wild and fun.”

Bright sunglasses add a pop of colour to what can be an otherwise very sober look, says Swann. “And while that’s more commonly done through a bright trainer, the different tints on these sunglasses are another great way to explore that.” O’Rourke is currently favouring wearing District Vision’s Koharu Eclipse Pink Moon, because they’re “a little narrower, so not as aggressive”.
Style, however, is only part of the fun. These are still performance-minded technical accessories, and just as with plusher running shoes or better-ventilated tops, wearers argue that once you experience the increased comfort, clarity and lighter weight of performance sunglasses, it’s harder to go back to sweaty, clunky fashion shades that slide down your nose. (Sporty shades, which tend to fit higher and snugger on the bridge of your nose, incorporate anti-slip technology that fashion-minded glasses don’t always prioritise.)

Montagner doesn’t see any real distinction between his fashion and performance customers. “Everyday life is a competition,” he argues. “We are always running, always changing from the car to the subway to the aeroplane, so we need wearable technology. And so now, the sports styles have become more luxurious, more sophisticated, more elegant.”
Models, Elhas Ndiaye at Independent, Gianluca Mino at StreetPeopleCasting, Nikita Sopin at Metamorfosi and Jason Da Cruz Guilherme at Morfosi. Casting, Piergiorgio Del Moro and Helena Balladino at DM Casting. Grooming, Liv Holst at Walter Schupfer Management. Photographer’s assistant, Teo Zanin. Stylist’s assistant, Vincenzo Trionfo. Production, Squalo Productions
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