Ray-Ban Wayfarers
After Wayfarers' sucess in the 1950s and 1960s, sales declined. Though Wayfarers' cultural popularity was boosted in 1980, particularly due to classic film The Blues Brothers, only 18,000 pairs were sold in 1981, and Wayfarers were on the verge of discontinuation.
The sunglasses' fate was reversed, however, when in 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $50,000-a-year deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, to place Ray-Bans in movies and television shows. Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year; Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through 2007. Tom Cruise's wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year. By 1986, after appearances in Miami Vice, Moonlighting, and The Breakfast Club, sales had reached 1.5 million. Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Madonna, Elvis Costello, and members of U2. Canadian pop artist Corey Hart music video Sunglasses At Night shows the artists wearing Wayfarers in darkness. Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981 to more than 40 models by 1989, and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.
The sunglasses' fate was reversed, however, when in 1982 Ray-Ban signed a $50,000-a-year deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, to place Ray-Bans in movies and television shows. Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year; Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through 2007. Tom Cruise's wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year. By 1986, after appearances in Miami Vice, Moonlighting, and The Breakfast Club, sales had reached 1.5 million. Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Madonna, Elvis Costello, and members of U2. Canadian pop artist Corey Hart music video Sunglasses At Night shows the artists wearing Wayfarers in darkness. Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981 to more than 40 models by 1989, and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.
Image courtesy of http://www.cozi.com/live-simply/greatest-fashion-fads-80s-90s
Source: "Ray-Ban Wayfarer.” Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 21 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2011.
