Oakley Inc announced a new program of exclusive, limited-release eyewear that specifically targets young consumers on the cutting edge of music, art, fashion, digital media, and action sports.
The Oakley Artist Eyewear Series is a focused extension of the company's "SQUARE O" collection and includes custom design treatments by artists, musicians and designers from around the world whose inspirational cues help to shape underground youth culture, lifestyle and trends.
Named after the distinctive icon that signs it, the SQUARE O eyewear collection features unique Oakley designs that are inspired by the lifestyles of its athletes as well as their cultural influences including music, art and fashion.
"Technology will always be part of our genetic code, but our reputation is also built on the art that wraps the science," said Colin Baden, president, Oakley Inc.
"The Oakley Artist Eyewear Series targets the youth market those who drive popular culture and define tomorrows further solidifying our connection to this important consumer."
"Influential artists, musicians and designers will use some of our most sought-after frame styles and contribute original graphical frame treatments, imaginatively rendered logos, and logo icons formed from special materials to create unique eyewear editions," continued Baden.
"Oakley offers the very best of form and function, and this collaborative series allows us to bring these attributes together in a way that is important to customers whose purchase decisions are often driven primarily by style."
In conjunction with this new series, Oakley developed a proprietary multi-layer pad print process to achieve the highest level of graphic resolution possible.
Each release will be available in limited quantities and only available at exclusive retailers. Additionally, approximately once a quarter, the company expects to release an ultra-exclusive Collectors Edition.
One of the first artist collaborations in the new series features a design by Art Chantry, an influential artist known for poster and album art that captured the Seattle grunge scene.
Mr. Chantry's work draws from a combination of pop culture sources including ad campaigns from the '50s, psychedelic music posters from the '60s, and cultural icons from the '70s.
The creation of the HIJINX Art Chantry Edition sunglass utilizes a deconstructed graphic collage that draws from the artist's wide-ranging catalog of more than 300 posters and album covers.
