The history of Aviators goes back to the 1930s before it gained its popularity as classic RayBans.
Aviators were designed to meet the need of the hour after a tragic incident that occurred with pilot Shorty Schroeder.
Flying at the height of 33,000 altitudes where the temperature in the sphere is as low as -70 °F (-56 °C), he had to remove his foggy goggles to navigate his biplane. This caused his eyes to freeze, barely managing to land.
Shorty’s friend Pilot John Macready was a witness of his condition who then decided to work with Bausch & Lomb to design sunglasses that are sleek, light in weight, and can protect the eyes of a pilot from intense sun rays at such high altitudes.
Aviator design was made to give maximum coverage and hence its teardrop shape had larger lenses covering the eye sockets and dropping well down to the cheeks of the wearer. Its double bridge pattern is another striking feature that was designed for a straight fit. Aviator sunglasses were rebranded as RayBans with its early campaigns promising glare-free vision.
While in the western world Aviators gained popularity after celebrities like Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley and later Tom Cruise wore them. The 70’s era of Bollywood which is avowed as the most fashionable also adapted this fashion trend. The below gallery is the timeline of Aviator fashion in India.
Though Aviators gained popularity with RayBan, many sunglasses manufacturing brands have consciously adopted them. Classic Aviators are evergreen designs but manufacturers and designers reinvent the design with various tweaks. We may conclude that Aviators will continue to dominate the fashion industry when it comes to eyewear.
