Athletes, law enforcement officers, and members of the U.S. military – as well as plenty of ordinary folks – love Oakley sunglasses. They come in a seemingly endless variety of styles, shapes, and color combinations.
The now-iconic brand got its start in founder James Jannard’s garage in 1975. At first, he made motorcycle grips, but later began manufacturing goggles for the BMX and motocross communities. That led to the development of goggles for skiers and other athletes, as well as casual sunglasses.
Lake Forest, California-based Oakley Inc. is now a subsidiary of Essilor Luxottica.
Oakley prides itself on testing its products in the field under extreme conditions and getting feedback from athletes.
The company maintains US Standard Issue, which provides the armed forces and police with eye protection.
Does Oakley manufacture its sunglasses in the USA? We dug in; our verdict is below.
Verdict: Are Oakley Sunglasses Made in the USA?
Oakley used to manufacture some of its sunglasses here in America. However, after Paris-based Luxottica bought the company in 2007, that was no longer the case.
A company spokesperson stated in an e-mail to us that although Oakley sunglasses are still designed and engineered in the USA at its Foothill Ranch headquarters, production takes place in-house at Luxottica or its overseas factories in China and Italy.
“Despite certain manufacturing of parts overseas, Oakley continues to maintain the same high level of standards, patented technologies, and materials,” the e-mail stated.
Unfortunately, this is a all-too-common trend among brands that get acquired by larger corporate conglomerates. They buy the company for the brand name and customer base, and then squeeze all the life and cost out of it to make a profit. Oakley just seems to be another victim.
Popular American Made Oakley Sunglasses
- None that we could find
Popular Oakley Sunglasses Not Made in the USA
- Oakley Kato
- Holbrook
- Sutro
- Radar EV Path
- Flak 2.0 XL
- Frogskins
- Gascan
- Sylas
- Holbrook XL
- Jawbreaker
- Frogskins Lite
- Eye Jacket Redux
- Flak XXS (Youth Fit)
- Frogskins XS (Youth Fit)
- Sutro S
- Wire Tap 2.0
- Reedmace
- Frogskins XXS (Youth Fit)
- Encoder
- Contrail
- Leffingwell
- Whisker
- Re:SubZero
- Sutro Lite Sweep (Vented)
- Holbrook TI
