Oakley Straight Jacket Silver/Fire Iridium

In 1984, Oakley made their move into the eyewear market, which they would go on to completely revolutionise with ground-breaking designs. The ‘Jacket’ family of sunglasses by Oakley, starting with the ‘Eye Jacket’ in 1994, aimed to produce frames that fit the face like clothing fits the body. The popularity of this range propelled the brand forward and solidified their position as a leader of innovation. The original Straight Jacket frame, released in 1996, was a lot larger than these models until the release of the ‘Minute’ in 1998, which resulted in Oakley reworking the Straight Jacket model into a smaller frame with sleeker design lines and more angular proportions.

The New Straight Jacket (1999) is effectively the ‘big brother’ to the Minute, constructed from the same O-Matter material with Unobtainium earsocks to allow for a comfortable fit and increased grip. They also feature impact-resistant Plutonite lenses with Iridium coating that offer the highest definition XYZ optics. Oakley stated at the time of release that Straight Jacket was “for those who understand that style is something you define yourself — it’s not the world’s idea of how you should look. If you need the world’s opinion, Straight Jacket isn’t meant for you”. This willingness to go against the grain was evident throughout Oakley’s designs in this era and was a large reason for the popularity of their products amongst celebrities and sport personalities across the globe. The Straight Jacket was regularly seen on stars from every sport and even royalty, when Prince William was spotted in a Black/Gold Iridium pair on a ski trip in the 2000s. They were the perfect alternative to the rounder Eye Jacket and are still as sought-after as ever, over 20 years after release.

Good condition with some signs of wear.