Sunglasses are an iconic piece of eyewear that originated over 2000 years ago and is deemed one of the most far-reaching, functional, yet fashionable accessories of all time. This simple yet essential item shields our lookers from the sun and has the magical ability to instantly glam up any outfit.
At SOEK®, we certainly value our sunnies for their pretty looks and practical purposes, but now even more for the following fun facts that highlight the lighter side of shades:
- They've been around for 2000 years.
The first pair of sunglasses made of wood and leather was invented 2000 years ago by natives of Arctic regions to protect their eyes from snow blindness caused by sunlight that reflected off the snow-covered ground.
- They legally made it to court.
During the 12th century, Chinese judges would wear sunglasses during trials to conceal their facial expressions and emotionally detach themselves from the case.
- A fashion mogul first licenced them.
In 2017, Christian Dior was the first fashion brand to licence its eyewear from the Dior brand to Thélios, who now designs, produces and distributes sunglasses and optical frames for Dior, Fendi, Celine, Givenchy, Loewe, Stella McCartney, Kenzo and Fred.
- They bite the dust every 14 minutes.
People are estimated to lose, sit on or break a pair of sunglasses every fourteen minutes, so a new pair is sold on eBay every 90 seconds.
- They are famous for music and movies.
The Matrix features the most sunglasses of all movies – the good guys all wearing round or oval-shaped shades, and the bad guys wearing rectangular lenses. Sir Elton John is hardly ever seen without a pair of sunglasses, reportedly owning over a thousand pairs ranging from obscure to feathered in all shapes and sizes. And, let's not forget the iconic shades of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's or those of the heart-throbbing Maverick in Top Gun.
- Wooden frames are the way forward.
As the attention nowadays is on protecting our planet and preserving our environment, we have seen a resurgence in demand for wooden frames and recyclable materials. At SOEK®, we are constantly looking at ways to improve the way we do things to be as sustainable as possible while also doing our best to give back to help create a better world. Our sunglasses are handcrafted from natural materials that are renewable and free from harmful or toxic elements.
- They celebrate their own day.
You know sunglasses are essential and unique, especially since we celebrate them on the 27th of June. International Sunglasses Day is an event organised by the Vision Council to promote the importance of wearing sunglasses to avoid eye damage from harmful sun rays. To promote International Sunglasses Day, they encourage people to take selfies of wearing sunglasses and share them on social media with the hashtags #SunglassSelfie and #NationalSunglassesDay.
Although sunglasses have been around for centuries, we still get excited about where their future will take us next. By visiting our website today, find your perfect pair of SOEK® Sunglasses designed to achieve your style and comfort balance.