Everybody still remembers how ‘80s flick “Top Gun” completely launched Tom Cruise as one of Hollywood’s top actors and icons. Time certainly goes by fast because on May 2012, “Top Gun” will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Naturally the celebration will not be complete without the participation of Ray Ban Aviators,which was greatly instrumental in catapulting the movie to such an iconic status.
After “Top Gun” came out, people all over the world, from Manila, Philippines to London, United Kingdom, started wearing Aviator glasses — practically everybody wore them, even kids! According to Time Magazine, the sales in leading optical shops of Ray Ban Aviators soared 40 percent because of the movie. The design used by Tom Cruise and the other actors for “Top Gun” was the Ray Ban 3025 (the frames were gold and the lenses were green or grey) and during that time, that was the signature design of fighter pilots of the U.S. Navy.
The U.S.Navy enjoyed so much attention and adulation because of the movie. Hordes of “Top Gun” fans trooped to the Miramar Naval Station in San Diego, California to see where the movie was filmed and even the bar where Tom Cruise’s character, Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, delivered a pretty out-of-tune version of “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling,” still enjoys frequent visits from movie fans. Just like how the movie’s appeal has not waned over the last 25 years, Ray Ban Aviators are still stylishly relevant.
Not too many people know that Ray Ban truly has its roots in the armed forces of the United States. The protective spectacles were created upon the request of Lieutenant John A. Macready in 1936. Macready was an American test pilot who went on a balloon flight and suffered terrible eye damage because of prolonged exposure to the sun. Bausch and Lomb created the first Ray Bans and they were initially called, Anti-Glare. Not long after, pilots of the U.S. Army Air Corps adopted them, and decades later Aviator sunglasses by Ray Ban made it into a Hollywood film inspired by a magazine article entitled, “Top Guns.”
Though Ray Ban Aviators have always had a market, the movie certainly gave them the kind of exposure that has not been created for other “shades” in the market. Some of today’s young people are probably not aware of how Ray Ban became such a commercial success in the ‘80s because of Top Gun and also wonder why their parents (especially those who used to be in the army) use Ray Ban frames for prescription glasses like varifocals. They probably also do not know the connection of Tom Cruise to the brand. One thing’s for sure though, for anybody who likes a great pair of sunglasses, Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses will always be considered top gun.