Vuarnet (French pronunciation: [vyaʁnɛ]) is a brand of sunglasses that is owned by French manufacturer Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A.[1]
 | |
| Product type | Eyewear |
|---|---|
| Owner | Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. |
| Country | France |
| Introduced | 1961 |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | www |
History
editThe sunglasses were developed from the invention of the Skilynx lens in 1957 by French opticians Roger Pouilloux and Joseph Hatchiguian.[2]
The sunglasses were originally marketed under the name 'Skilynx Acier', and they were provided to the French Ski Team. After Jean Vuarnet, a French alpine ski racer, won the gold medal in the Downhill at the 1960 Winter Olympics, an agreement was reached in 1961 to market the sunglasses using his surname as the brand name.[3] The brand released many products, but sunglasses remained its most popular item.[4]
The company was an official corporate sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
In 2009, 75% of Vuarnet was purchased by Alain Mikli. The company then made 40 million euros in revenue, but -10 million euros in losses.[2] In 2017, the company officially became an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company).[5]
In 2023, Vuarnet was acquired by LVMH's eyewear subsidiary Thelios.[6]
In the popular culture
editThe following actors wore Vuarnet sunglasses in the following movies:
- Alain Delon in the movie La Piscine (1969)[7]
- Tom Selleck in the television series Magnum, P.I.[8]
- Jeff Bridges in the movie The Big Lebowski (1998)[9]
- Daniel Craig in the James Bond movie Spectre (2015)[7]
References
edit- ^ 887 F.2d 1065
- ^ a b Vulser, Nicole (2009-12-17). "Alain Mikli International rachète les lunettes Vuarnet" (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ "Vuarnet Official Site". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
- ^ Aaker, David (1990-07-15). "Brand Extensions: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly". MIT Sloan Management Review.
- ^ "La marque Vuarnet classée « Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant »". www.frequenceoptic.fr (in French). 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ "LVMH's Thelios Acquires French Eyewear Brand Vuarnet". The Business of Fashion. 2023-09-05. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b Faguer, Astrid (2023-11-19). "Les secrets de fabrications des lunettes Vuarnet". Les Échos (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Lucas, Jillian (2018-09-24). "Vuarnet Brings Back Iconic Glasses for 'Magnum P.I.'". Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ "Gear News: Vuarnet Releases Classic Jeff Bridges 'The Dude' Sunglasses". Men's Journal. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2024-10-25.