Aviator sunglasses, as we know them today, were actually invented by Ray Ban in 1936. As you can imagine, flight was a lot different back then than it is today. Pilots at the time, particularly military ones, didn't have tinted canopies and the sun posed a particular problem for vision during the day. They required good anti-glare sunglasses to shield their eyes from the sun and it just happened that Ray Ban had a design that fit the bill. These were sunglasses that covered the entire eye and a good portion of the eye socket. That's why the name “aviator sunglasses” stuck.

It's interesting to note that the design created by Ray Ban was modeled on goggles that were being worn by American servicemen. If you remember old aviation photos or movies, you will also remember the goggles that became a pilot's trademark fashion accessory. Goggles were certainly necessary in open cockpits, but with the advent of closed cockpits goggles were no longer necessary to shield the eyes and face against the elements. Pilots needed something different, yet just as useful. Thus as with many other things that have become commercially popular, the origins of this fashion accessory were in military use.

In 1937, Ray Ban began selling their new aviator shades to the general public and the rest is, as they say, history. The aviator shade design was a fashion hit and remains so to this day.

Over the years, many companies have jumped on the aviator shade bandwagon and today most of the major brands, such as Gucci, Prada or Maui Jim, sell their own versions. You can also find no-name brands that also sell cheap knock-off aviator shades.

For us, however, no one owns true aviator sunglasses until they own a pair of Ray Bans. It's that simple. We hope you feel the same way.