The Sporty Sunglasses Co-opted by Fashion and Fascism

At
the
last
few Balenciaga shows,
a
pre-runway
of
sorts
played
out
outside
the
venue:
Demna’s
designs
were
photographed
in
landscapes milder than
the
snowy,
windy,
muddy
ones
he’d
created
inside
—
and
on
very
famous
people.

At
the
brand’s
haute
couture
show
in
July,
and
again
at
its
ready-to-wear
show
in
October,
paparazzi
joined
the
street-style
photographers
to
capture ladies
like
Christine
Quinn,
Alexa
Demie,
Bella
Hadid,
Kim
Kardashian,
Kylie
Jenner
and
Naomi
Campbell
making
their
way
in
and
out
of
the
venues.
Nearly
all
them
(and
many
other
showgoers)
were
wearing
some
version
of
Balenciaga’s
bold,
alien-esque,
Oakley-inspired
wraparound
sunglasses.
What
better
way
to
be
protected
from
the
flashing
lights
than
these
goggle-like
shields,
akin
to
those
worn
by
athletes
and
first
responders
to
block
blazing
sun,
bullets
and
even grizzly
bear
attacks?
(Yes,
that’s
a
real
story,
and
don’t
worry,
no
bears
were
reported
at
Paris
Fashion
Week.) 

Thanks
to
all
this
Balenciaga-centric
publicity
and
a
broader
Y2K
resurgence
in
fashion
and
culture,
wraparounds
have
become
the
eyewear
silhouette
of
the
moment,
with
Heron
Preston,
Maison
Margiela, Marine
Serre,

Rick
Owens and Ray-Ban —
plus
Demna
and
his
famous
muses
—
leading
their
revival. This
may
seem
like
an
unexpected
turn
for
what
originated
as
a
sporty
performance
item,
but
those
in
the
know
aren’t
surprised. 

“It
makes
complete
sense
for
these
to
be
in
the
high-fashion
space,” says
Dr.
Vanessa
Brown, senior
lecturer
at
Nottingham
School
of
Art
and
Design
and author
of
“Cool
Shades:
The
History
and
Meaning
of
Sunglasses.”
“It’s
[been]
a
long
time
since
wraparounds
were
fashionable
—
and
that
makes
something
ripe
to
be
re-purposed
for
fashion.” 

According
to
Katie
Devlin,
fashion
trend
forecaster
at
Stylus,
wraparounds
are
coming
back
due
in
part
to
fashion’s
demand
for
functional
and
performance-led
design.
“We’re
seeing
a
kind
of
a
sporty
retro-future
element,”
she
says,
“almost
like
a
Matrix-inspired
approach
to
Y2K.” 

In
addition
to
Balenciaga’s
high-fashion
version,
Hadid
—
who’s
as
much
a
reflection
of
the
style
trends
emerging
out
of
downtown
New
York
as
she
is
a
major
trendsetter
—
has
also

been
spotted
multiple
times
in

actual
Oakleys. 

Demna
has
long
been
obsessed
with
sporty
eyewear;
the
Georgian
designer
even

collaborated
with
Oakley
in
2018
through
his
first
brand,
Vetements.
In
the
United
States,
though,
these
eyewear
styles
have
earned
more
controversial
associations
in
recent
years
—
specifically
with
the alt-right,
pro-law-enforcement
and pro-Trump communities.
This
feels
somewhat
contradictory
to
their
concordant
adoption
by
A-list
celebrities,
even
if
theirs
come
courtesy
of Balenciaga.
So how
did
performance
sunglasses
go
from
athleticwear
to
MAGA-core
to
Balenciaga
baddie?

According
to
Brown,
wraparounds
have
always
been
historically
significant
in
that
they’re
arguably
the
last
type-form
to
develop
in
20th
century
sunglasses
design.
California-based
Oakley
is
by
and
large
considered
the
originator
of
this
style;
now
owned
by
luxury
corporation
Essilor
Luxottica,
it’s
still
known
for
its
black-
or
rainbow-tinted
frames,
easily
purchased
at
Bass
Pro
shops,
gas
stations
and
suburban
car
wash
kiosks
across
America.

According
to
Brian
Takumi,
Oakley’s
vice
president
of
brand
soul
and
creative,
founder
Jim
Jannard
conceived
the
distinctive
design
out
of
a
personal
annoyance
with
the
sun
disrupting
his
peripheral
vision
while
driving. As
the
story
goes —
and
a
rep
confirmed
it
to
Fashionista
—
Jannard
literally
cut
goggles
into
a
smaller
shape
and
put
coat
hangers
on
the
sides
to
build
the
first
prototype.
(By
the
time
they
hit
the
market,
they
were
much
more
sophisticated.)

“Oakley
is
known
very
well
in
the
performance
space
as
having
the
best
technology
eyewear
can
offer,”
says
Takumi. 

As
described
in
a

1997

Los
Angeles
Times
article,
the
Oakley
shades
are
built
with
“inhuman
impenetrability,”
using
aerodynamic
elements
that
borrow
heavily
from
aerospace
technology. Their
rounded
shape
helps
the
sunglasses
sit
close
to
the
face,
while
their
distinctive
wrapping
around
the
head
provides
peripheral
coverage.
They
were
designed
strictly
for
function
and
performance,
becoming the
ultimate
form
of
protection
for
an
athlete’s
eyes
from
the
harsh
effects
of
activities
like
cycling
biking,
skiing,
surfing
and
NASCAR
racing.
It
wasn’t
long
before
they
became
a
fashion
statement
as
well.

As
early
as
1994,
trendsetting
celebs
like

Madonna,

Leonardo
DiCaprio, Michael
Jordan, Dennis
Rodman
and
even

Princess
Anne were
photographed
sporting
Oakleys. Movie
moments
like Rodman
in
1997’s
“Double
Team”
and Brad
Pitt
in
1999’s
“Fight
Club” cemented
the
sunglasses
as
action-ready,
futuristic
and
cool. As
they
became

the
accessory
of
the
’90s
and
early
2000s,
other
brands,
including
Ralph
Lauren,
began
offering
similar
styles.

Like
most
trends
from
that
era,
the
wraparound
began
teasing
its
comeback
as
early
as
2018,
when
Vetements
dropped
its
Oakley
collaboration
(above)
for
Spring
2019. As
they
did
in
the
’90s,
celebrities
have
played
a
big
role
in
their
recent
resurgence. 

“The
wraparounds
are
emblems
of
celebification
—
they
hide
and
protect,”
says
Shanu
Walpita,
trend
forecaster
and
course
leader
at
London
College
of
Fashion.
“This
layer
of
celebrity
concealment
and
curiosity
is
played
up
even
more
with
the
Balenciaga
designer’s
famous
friends
donning
the
alien-esque
shades.”

While
Demna
is
usually
not
one
to
extensively
explain
or
contextualize
his
design
and
marketing
efforts,
the
general
consensus
is
that
his
latest
collections
are
less
about
cosplaying
a
sci-fi
dystopian
future
and
more
about
living
out
the
real
thing,
with
constant
surveillance
and
the
persistent
threat
of
environmental
and
societal
collapse.
“Balenciaga
is
the
master
of
capturing,
mirroring
and
subverting
today’s
cultural
zeitgeist,
and
also
pushing
it
forward,”
says
Walpita.

Wraparounds
are
also
unique
in
that,
unlike
other
accessories
that
must

remain
connected
to
their
heritage
to
retain
their
authenticity,
they
need
not
be
presented
in
a
sporty
context
to
maintain
their
appeal.
They’ve
been
able
to
adapt
to
a
range
of
aesthetics
and
communities.
(Per
Walpita,
this
is
due
to
“a
series
of
interconnected
fashion
and
cultural
convergences.”)

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But
as
they’ve
continued
to
gain
momentum
in
the
fashion
zeitgeist,
these
frames
have
also, perhaps
unwittingly,
become
part
of
the
uniform
associated
with
what
some
on
TikTok
are
calling
(of
course)
MAGA-core.
TikTok
user
@Mareeezy
jokingly
labeled
wraparounds
“Insurrection
sunglasses” in
a
post
with
over
1,600
comments.
(A
sampling:
“I
can’t
believe
this
is
a
universal
thing.
These
are
the
official
South
African
racist
Oakley
sunglasses.”
“Ah,
yes,
the
✨Democracy
Blockers✨.
Living
in
Florida,
I’m
quite
familiar
with
these.”)

The
politically
charged
protests,
rallies
and
riots
of
the
the
past
few
years
have
resulted
in
even
more
visibility
for
wraparound
eyewear
by
Oakley
and
other
performance-led
brands
via
police
officers
and
their
similarly
accessorized
supporters.
As
actor
and
director

Zach
Braff
tweeted
following
the
2021
insurrection
in
Washington,
D.C.:
“Not
all
Trump
supporters
wear
Oakleys.
But
all
Oakley
wearers
support
Trump.” 

While
there’s
no
overt
evidence
that
Oakley
has
done
anything
to
perpetuate
this
association,
it
has
made
no
secret
of
its
support
for
military
and
police
officers
over
the
years. Members
of
law
enforcement
and
the
U.S.
military
can
actually
qualify
for
a

discount through
the
company’s

Standard
Issue
program,
and
the
brand
sells
a
range
of
sunglasses
and
other products
featuring
a
“thin
blue
line.” 

Per
a
recent


Independent
article (which
includes
several
images
of
police
and
Proud
Boys
wearing
Oakleys),
this
relationship
began
in
1990
when
Oakley’s
then-CEO
Colin
Baden
decided
to
double
down
on
a
competitor’s
(derogatory)
pronouncement
that
“Cops
wear
Oakleys.”

“We
made
our
own
signs
that
said
cops
wear
Oakleys,
and
we
had
cops
wearing
Oakleys.
It
was
very
well
received,”
Baden
told
the
paper in
June
of
this
year.
“It’s
a
great
legacy.
If
you
want
to
see
how
good
your
eyewear
is,
put
it
on
the
battlefield
and
see
how
good
it
is.”

Dr.
Jonathan
Square,
assistant
professor
of
Black
visual
culture
at
the
Parsons
School
of
Design
and
founder
of
“Fashioning
the
Self
in
Slavery
and
Freedom,”
reasons
that
conservative
parties
are
willing
to
co-opt
fashion
items
if
they’re
not

solely
considered
fashion
items:
“If
items
are
viewed
as
useful,
they
aren’t
‘fashion’
and
can
be
adopted
without
fear
of
it
being
considered
frivolous,”
he
says.
On
a
functional
level,
wraparound
glasses
do
also
offer
protection
from
flying
debris
in
rowdy,
militaristic
settings.

Racist
groups
also
have
a
pattern
of
using aesthetics
to
broadcast
their
beliefs
and,
in
some
cases,
as
a
recruitment
tactic. From
Boogaloo
Boys
wearing
Hawaiian
shirts
to
Proud
Boys
in
Fred
Perry
polos,
there’s
a
long
history
of
fashion
and
political
subcultures
co-opting
from
each
other.
Mirroring
Fred
Perry’s

struggle
to
untangle
itself
from
white
supremacist
ideologies,
wraparounds
sunglasses
have
become
so
enmeshed
with
police,
military
and
far-right
extremists
in
the
U.S.
that
it’s
created
a
marketing
challenge
for
other
brands
with
a
similar
aesthetic
and
function
to
Oakley’s
but
differing
values,
like Pit
Viper.

Can
wraparounds
simultaneously
cater
to
one
group
without
alienating
or
putting
off
the
other?
Their
success
in
the
fashion
world
seems
to
answer,
“yes”
—
but
how?

“It’s
like
Hawaiian
shirts,”
says
Square.
“They
have
been
associated
with
the
alt-right;
at
the
same
time,
they’re
still
coveted
by
a
larger
fashion-conscious
consumer
base.”

There’s
also
the
question
of:
When
it
comes
to
accessories
with
controversial
political
associations,
are
consumers
even
aware
of
the
history
behind
what
they’re
wearing?
Does
a
Balenciaga
logo
override
any
non-fashion
connection?
Are
they
thinking
beyond
aesthetics? 

“Some
are,
some
aren’t,” says
Square.
“If
they
are
aware,
they
may
wear
them
to
subvert
their
negative
associations.” 

Brown
echoes
this:  “Fashionable
people
like
to
play
with
meaning,
mess
about
with
it,
change
it.
They
borrow
things
which
have
a
lot
of
meaning
to
give
an
impact
to
their
look.”

This
seems
especially
true
of
younger
shoppers.
Gen
Zers
—
who
likely
weren’t
alive
the
first
time
wraparounds
were
in
style
—
are
exploring
and
connecting
with
Y2K
cyborgian
subversion,
and
may
simply
be
using
conservative
symbols
to
add
a
tongue-in-cheek
edge
to
their
wardrobes.
As
Devlin,
the
Stylus
trend
forecaster,
puts
it:
“The
wraparound
sunglasses
are
something
that
have
been
historically
seen
as
uncool.
Making
it
into
an
ironic
fashion
moment
is
so
prevalent
across
youth
in
fashion
culture.”

“The
dystopian
vibe
in
the
Balenciaga
collection
references
1990s/millennial
doom
and
subcultural
‘turning
away’
from
mainstream
optimism
and
consumer
culture
happiness,
but
it
does
this
in
a
way
that
creates
a
heroic
sense
of
preparedness,”
says
Brown.
“It’s
one
of
fashion’s
tropes,
and
one
that
sunglasses
are
used
to
telegraph
—
time
and
time
again.”

Even
when
adopted
ironically,
though,

fascist
associations
in
fashion
can
be
dangerous,
strengthening
ideologies
through
unified
clothing
and
worldwide
shipping.
Still, wraparound
sunglasses can
be
like
chameleons,
changing
with
the
times
or
being
everything
at
once.
They
are
nostalgic
and
futuristic.
Uncool
and
of-the-moment.
Authoritarian
and
rebellious.

Whether
spinning
on
a
Lazy
Susan
at
a
car
wash
or
shining
in
a
window
at
a
luxury
department
store,
the
style
transcends
aesthetics,
subcultures
and
price
points,
and
its
malleable
connotations
make
it
intriguing,
subversive,
contradictory
—
even
a
little
dangerous.
For
fashion’s
most
subversive
designers
and
tastemakers,
those
qualities
can
be
like
catnip.

“Sometimes
fashion
can
be
accused
of
being
irresponsible
when
it
seems
to
popularize
ideas
that
are
problematic,”
says
Brown,
almost
prophetically.
“But
it
will
always
want
to
challenge
what’s
considered
‘good
taste’
by
shocking
audiences
with
unexpected
choices.”

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