Vuarnet

Vuarnet is a premium heritage brand of sunglasses founded in 1957 that is owned by French manufacturer Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A.[1] Thélios (LVMH) acquired Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. and Vuarnet in 2023.

History

The sunglasses were developed from the invention of the Skilynx lens in 1957 by French opticians Roger Pouilloux and Joseph Hatchiguian.[2] Skilynx are special, coated, yellow mirror lenses designed to enhance perception of contrasts in conditions of white-out[3] as well as reducing the effects of snow glare. Allowing skiers to better discern variations in snowy terrain without distortion.[4]

The anti-glare sunglasses were originally marketed under the name 'Skilynx Acier', and they were provided to the French Ski Team. After Jean Vuarnet, a French alpine ski racer, won the gold medal in the Downhill at the 1960 Winter Olympics while wearing cat eye model "002", an agreement was reached in 1961 to market the sunglasses using his surname as the brand name.[3][5][6] In 1974 Vuarnet branched out to mountaineering eyewear by introducing its 'Glacier' model of glacier glasses, which were worn by French alpinist Jean Afanassieff during the first successful French expedition to the summit of Mount Everest in 1978.[7][8] The company was an official corporate sponsor of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Vuarnet was in its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s[9], widely known for their bold mirrored lenses and colorful frames.[10] The brand released many (related) products, such as ski equipment and apparel, but sunglasses remained its most popular item.[11]

By the 2000s the brand faded from prominence and had left the US market.[4] In 2009, 75% of Vuarnet was purchased by Alain Mikli. The company then made 40 million euros in revenue, but -10 million euros in losses.[2] Neo Investment Partners acquired Vuarnet out of bankruptcy in 2014 and set out to turn the brand around.[12] Under the new ownership and management Vuarnet reined in brand licensing agreements[9], focused on French and Italian markets[9] and re-entered the North American market with selective distribution, with an expanded, modernized eyewear range averaging $275 (€220) in price targeting affluent urban professionals with active lifestyles.[13] In 2017, the company officially became an Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (Living Heritage Company).[14]

In 2023, Vuarnet and its parent company Sporoptic Pouilloux S.A. were acquired by LVMH's eyewear subsidiary Thélios.[15] Vuarnet is one of the last eyewear brands to still produce their own mineral lenses, in Meaux near Paris.[16][4]

In popular culture

The following actors wore Vuarnet sunglasses in the following movies:

Other notable celebrities known for wearing Vuarnet sunglasses were Mick Jagger, Romy Schneider and Miles Davis.[18] During the 2025 Sun Valley Conference OpenAI CEO Sam Altman declared "I don’t like smart glasses"[22] while wearing large white-rimmed Vuarnet mountaineering sunglasses.[23][24]

• Alain Delon in the movie La Piscine (1969)[17]

• Kurt Russell in the movie The Thing (1982)[18]
• Tom Selleck in the television series Magnum, P.I.[19]
• Jeff Bridges in the movie The Big Lebowski (1998)[20]
• Daniel Craig in the James Bond movies Spectre (2015)[17] and No Time To Die (2021)[21]

External links