Oakley is celebrating its 50th anniversary by stepping into the future. The brand has named Travis Scott as its first-ever non-athlete chief visionary, partnered with Meta AI, and joined forces with Axiom Space to develop a visor system for next-generation space suits.
The celebration also brings the release of the Oakley Ellipse 50th Anniversary sunglasses. Designed in the brand’s signature futurist style, the eyewear features a curved silhouette based on Oakley’s logo. The frame is finished in a Midas Fleck colorway, black lucid detailing, and gold accents. At its core is the Prizm™ 24K lens—a gold, single curved lens shaped with Oakley’s unique PhysioMorphic™ Geometry.
Related posts:
“We spend about 25% of our time executing what’s coming to market next,” said Ryan Saylor, Senior Vice President of Advanced Product Development. “Most of the time is about conceptualizing future products, technologies, and innovations.”
Oakley’s most ambitious innovation is its partnership with Axiom Space. After two years of development, the companies unveiled a new visor system for astronauts. The goal: block harmful infrared light from the sun while preserving vision clarity.
“Astronauts deal with intense solar radiation—not just visibility issues but actual eye damage,” Saylor explained. “Imagine putting your face under a heat lamp for 20 minutes. That’s what infrared light does—short term, it’s dry eye; long term, cataracts.”
The breakthrough came in coating a curved visor with gold. “Real gold reflects infrared energy while transmitting visible light,” Saylor said. “The challenge was depositing a uniform layer of gold on a curved shield. We developed a process to evaporate and deposit gold perfectly on the lens.”
Nick Garfias, Oakley’s VP of Design, added, “The Oakley Ellipse 50th Anniversary celebrates half a century of Oakley innovation by taking the most iconic bit of our branding and putting it front and center as a design element.”
Available in limited quantities starting July 2025, the Ellipse 50th Anniversary honors Oakley’s legacy—bold, boundary-pushing, and future-focused.
Click here for more stories like this. You may also follow and subscribe to our social media accounts: Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, and Kumu.
