Will we see a resurgence in the popularity of aviator sunglasses?

10th November 2020

US President Joe Biden is a long-term devotee of Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses. When the sun is shining he is rarely seen without them. Coupled with his smart, dark single-breasted suits you could say it’s his signature look. And there’s no doubt the aviator frame suits his face shape.

History of aviator sunglasses

The aviator style sunglass has certainly been around a long time. Back in 1929 a US Army Air Corps Colonel called John Macready worked with Bausch & Lomb, a Rochester, New York-based medical equipment manufacturer, to create aviation sunglasses that would reduce the distraction for pilots caused by the intense blue and white hues of the sky. MacCready was concerned about how the goggles pilots were using frequently fogged up, reducing visibility at high altitude.

The original aviator sunglasses

The prototype sunglass, created sometime later in 1936, had plastic frames and green lenses that could cut out the glare without obscuring vision. It went on sale to the public in 1937 followed by a redesign using a metal frame in 1939 and was patented by Bausch & Lomb as the Ray-Ban Aviator.

Popularity of aviators

When Foster Grant first started the mass marketing of sunglasses in the mid-1930’s it was the aviator style that proved most popular. Probably the heyday of the aviator styling was the 1970s and 1980s when hugely popular celebrities like Slash, Michael Jackson, George Michael, Tom Cruise, Freddie Mercury, Jeff Lynne, Roger Waters and Elvis Presley were always seen wearing them. 

Now that we have an aviator sunglass devotee running the world’s most powerful country will they make a come-back? If you’re interested in checking out the aviator styles we sell we have over 65 to choose from! Shop Aviator Sunglasses.