Oakley Water Jacket Black/Persimmon Vented

In 1984, Oakley made their move into the eyewear market which they went on to completely revolutionise with unique 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 through the 1990s and cemented their position as a market leader of innovation.

The Oakley Water Jacket, a variation of the popular Racing Jacket sunglasses, first released in 1999 and were designed with the intention of more extreme sports and water sports application in mind. They quickly gained popularity amongst sport personalities such as football legend Edgar Davids, who required eye protection during matches after his glaucoma surgery in 1999, and Pro Surfers like Kalani Robb, who is featured on the box cover. The Pro Water Jackets featured slight changes that made them more suitable for sport use, such as vented lenses with a hydrophobic coating and larger Unobtainium earsocks connected with an adjustable strap for far better security and grip. Peter Yee ( @peteryeedesign ), the man behind the design of Oakley’s most famous products, offered a brilliant insight into the design process of this model: “it’s a unibody construction, there’s no separate stems and center frame, so it’s a solid piece of equipment. It has a large lens and frame to offer the athlete a great deal of protection and coverage. The frame has been ventilated to prevent fogging and let air flow through so you don’t overheat and steam up the lenses. There are also soft nose pads and ear socks for grip and comfort” (Original design sketch on last slide).

The Racing/Water Jacket is easily my favourite pair sunglasses made by Oakley due to their legacy in sports history, and the aggressive overall appearance and design that has proven to be timeless, with many brands replicating this style & shape in newer collections today.

Condition is like new with no flaws