Whether you need protection from the sun’s rays or people’s gazes, sunglasses have always been a staple in the accessory bullpen, especially during the spring and summer.
Providing the ultimate form of facial flexery, the sunglasses you wear say a lot about who you are. From your sense of style, profession, and hobbies to how bad your hangover is.
But whether you’re on Rodeo Drive or at a rest stop on I-93, sunglasses struggle in two areas. The first being they always compromise. Whether going all out on appearance or functionality, that sweet spot at the center of the sunglass solar system is vastly empty. The second being they are notorious for getting lost. This of course is no shade to any design on the surface level but what’s it saying subconsciously? Sunglasses are forgettable.
Challenge accepted x 2.
In our first ocular alliance with Oakley, it was all about the optics: choosing a model that was already eye-catching but with the prospect of BodegaVision written all over it.
For us, that meant all eyes on the BXTR, a design inspired by Baxter Street, an LA Skate spot with a legendary ledge and absolutely insane hill, both of which became a testing ground for personal style, unmatched bravery, and unfathomable road rash.
With the goal of innovating on sunglass technology beyond the scope of the yellow ball in the sky, Oakley has always been chasing what’s next and the BXTR’s Prizm Lens Technology is the bill to fit all bills.
Developed to enhance people's field of vision, Oakley’s HQ team out in Foothill Ranch California had been hard at work, cracking the code since the early 2000s. From identifying and measuring key colors needed to boost clarity and mocking up digital lenses specific to color targets, to creating prototype after prototype to be tested in every scenario under the sun, the Prizm Lens Technology had to pass over 30 tests before it got the seal of approval. And it shows.
At its core, the Bodega X Oakley BXTR is about getting active, expressing individuality, and tapping into the athletic feats we do on a daily basis. As a result, we wanted to make sure its color scheme and accents followed suit. And what’s more indicative of 'beat of your own drum adventuring' than a gradient of the early morning or late day sky as you set out or return home from a sweet trip? Whether you’re a glass half sun-rise or glass half sun-set type of person, the glowing mixture of orange into pink, into purple haze is like a finite resource. Something that is constantly changing, that can’t be harnessed - only witnessed for a short time.
Paying tribute to the impact sunglasses have when it comes to unlocking new perspectives and gaining new outlooks on our surroundings, we fitted the top center of the lens with Oakley’s iconic ‘O’ logo. Third-eye engaged.
Contrasting the window pane of our dreams is a golden top visor with raised horns down the middle and a continuous black rim down below fitted with an Unobtainium® nosepad to keep your face comfortably framed.
Tipping the visual scale even further into the future are the metal trigger stems which were inspired by Oakley's first Razorblade sunglasses and an early mock-up made from a goggle lens and coat hangers. To let the lightning-quick stance tell the story, we kept things pretty minimal, opting for a see-through brown plastic for the temple - adorned with an old-school Oakley logo, a brushed metal finish to the chain ring inspired, angular midsection, pink padded temple tips which are BMX all the way, and maybe some subtle Bodega etching somewhere out there to be discovered?
To close out our party pack for your face, we designed a custom box and lens bag that puts topography front of mind to reflect how the Bodega BXTR can help you chart new courses and explore new elevations this summer.
So in the end it was really very simple. If you want to make a pair of sunglasses you can't lose, just make them unforgettable.
Release Info: Friday, July 21, 2023
Available online at 12pm EST and in-store at both our Boston and Los Angeles locations on a first come, first served basis.
