Ray-Ban's Brand Evolution & A$AP Rocky
Bringing in a rapper who is already intertwined in fashion and culture was an incredibly smart move.
Ray-Ban is by far one of the most iconic eyewear brands of all time. The Aviator sunglasses brought them into the conversation but the Wayfarer model was what really catapulted them into limelight and allowed them to flourish. While there were specific pop culture moments that helped boost sales and awareness, there have been a long list of celebrities in all areas of sports, media, and entertainment who have worn them proudly. Now that A$AP Rocky is their first creative director, they have a huge opportunity to add to their long-standing legacy.
Ray-Ban was founded by John Jacob Bausch & Henry Lomb, the same duo whose namesake company currently dominates the contact lens and glasses market. In the early 1930s, Air Force pilots were starting to reach higher altitudes but were struggling with the additional glare from the sunlight and the bright hues of the sky. The Bausch & Lomb company, with the help of Colonel John A. Macready, stepped in to create an “anti-glare” pair of sturdy sunglasses. They went to market and were an instant hit. So much so that they were contracted by the U.S. Military during WWII for all of their pilots. They eventually made their way from military culture to the consumer market where they saw another rise in popularity. From there, they introduced the Wayfarer model in the 1950s and that’s when Hollywood started taking note. Actors like James Dean and Audrey Hepburn wore them in movies and signaled these sunglasses had secured a place within pop culture. Another reason Ray-Ban saw success was the fact that it had a vice grip across every age group, gender, and race. You’d see people like Muhammad Ali wearing them during press conferences, Michael Jackson wearing them before, during, and after concerts, and Andy Warhol was often photographed wearing them.
Like all companies, their growth eventually slowed and they started taking a financial hit. The Wayfarer started losing a massive chunk of market share due to wireframes coming back into style. In order to revive its demand, Ray-Ban contracted a product placement firm called Unique in 1982 in an attempt to regain popularity. This last ditch effort paid off with Ray-Bans being placed in tons of high-profile movies and tv shows like Risky Business and Miami Vice. They also benefitted from the original Top Gun since the aviators were already part of Air Force culture. They eventually sold the company to EssilorLuxottica for $640M in 1999. If you didn’t know already, EssilorLuxottica also manufactures sunglasses for Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Giorgio Armani, and more than a dozen other brands. They clearly have a monopoly over the market but it was hilarious to watch this 60 Minutes interview where Lesley Stahl stumps an executive from the holding company. His responses to the bulk of her questions were…avoidant to say the least.
A$AP Rocky has had a huge presence in the rap game for years. His rap name came from joining the A$AP Mob - a group of rappers, producers, stylists, designers and overall creative minds. The A$AP acronym stands for “Always Strive And Prosper.” He’s been into fashion for a while but this became more publicly apparent when he was featured in campaigns for DKNY and Dior Homme in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Then GUESS gave him the chance to do his first brand collaboration and pieces from this capsule featured their logo as “GUE$$.” A few years later he was featured on Calvin Klein’s I Speak My Truth campaign. After gaining several more collaborations, constantly being photographed with impeccable outfits, and interviewed by all of the top fashion publications, he is seen within the music industry as one of the most fashionable male artists. He’s also been recognized by The Business of Fashion in their BOF 500 list, an index of people who are shaping the fashion industry on a global scale. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s in a long-term relationship Rihanna, a fashion icon in her own right and the owner of Savage X Fenty, which is currently valued at over a billion dollars.
A$AP’s appointment as Creative Director comes with an interesting scope. He’ll be involved in all of the campaigns but he’ll also get the opportunity to change and improve the in-store customer journey. I don’t know if you’ve walked into a Ray-Ban store recently but the experience is less than ideal. There’s virtually no difference in walking into Ray-Ban vs any other eyewear store. You can tell that they’ve put a lot of effort into the design of each location so I’ll give them credit for that, but there’s something missing. Locations are normally pretty empty and outside of a genuine need for one pair sunglasses, there’s nothing about the experience that makes me tempted to buy more. The store associates are usually deeply knowledgable about the products, but they always strike me as bored.
Ray-Ban’s upcoming release of sunglasses, Blacked Out, will align almost perfectly with A$AP’s new album Don’t Be Dumb. Yes, part of the delay is probably attributed to his latest legal troubles (which he was found not guilty) but some of the best musicians are known to double as marketing geniuses. He celebrated all of his upcoming successes at a party a few days ago during Milan Fashion Week. Ray-Ban now has someone who literally moves and creates culture to help their brand succeed for the next several years and beyond. I’m extremely excited to see how this plays out and what future campaigns and product lines are in store for us all.
