The major players in the branded sunglasses segment in India are :-

1) Ray Ban 2) Oakley Inc. 3) Prada 4) Polaroid Eyewear 5) Gucci 6) Luxottica or Vogue Eyewears 7) DKNY

Ray Ban: Ray-Ban is an American brand of sunglasses founded in 1937 by Bausch & Lomb. They were introduced for the United States Army Air Corps. In 1999, Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to the Italian Luxottica Group for a reported $640 million History

Ray-Bans were first created in 1936. Some years earlier, Lieutenant John A. Macready (an American test pilot) returned from a balloon flight, complained that the sun had permanently damaged his eyes, and contacted Bausch & Lomb asking them to create sunglasses that would provide protection and also look sophisticated. On May 7, 1937, Bausch & Lomb took out the patent, and the Aviator was made available to the public. The prototype, known as Anti-Glare, had a frame weighing 150 grams. They were made of gold-plated metal with green lenses made of mineral glass to filter out infrared and ultraviolet rays. Pilots in the United States Army Air Corps immediately adopted the sunglasses. The army wanted sunglasses that would protect the soldiers' eyes from harmful light while maintaining a stylish look. The Ray-Ban Aviator became a wellknown style of sunglasses when General Douglas MacArthur landed on the beach in the Philippines in World War II, and photographers snapped several pictures of him wearing them. Ray-Bans were quickly seen outside the army. They quickly gained popularity through other wars and even made a debut in the movies. In 1952, Ray-Ban created

another style, the Ray-Ban Wayfarer, this time with plastic frames, which became popular soon after its release. By 1962, Ray-Ban started to create impact-resistant lenses. It was not until ten years later when the United States of America made impact-resistant eye wear mandatory through the FDA regulation. Wayfarer sunglasses were seen on movie stars, TV stars, and musicians. Ray-Ban still remains a top designer in the sunglasses industry with its constant changes of color, frames, and lenses. Celebrity endorsements 2000 - present

Ray-Ban's "Never Hide" campaign was launched in March 2007. It consisted of a YouTube series and a film advocating customers to "Never pretend. Never be afraid. Never give up. Never Hide". The campaign also encourages people to live their lives with authenticity and no fear of judgment. Short YouTube videos show musicians and bands such as Slash of Guns N' Roses and Two Door Cinema Club wearing Ray-Ban products and playing live shows.

Oakley, Inc. Oakley, Inc., based in Foothill Ranch, California, makes sport equipment including sunglasses, sports visors, and ski goggles, as well as watches, clothing, bags, backpacks, shoes, prescription glasses, football (American) and hockey eyewear, golf gear and other accessories. Oakley currently holds more than 600 patents for eyewear, materials and performance gear.

The main competitors of Oakley are Wiley X, Costa Del Mar, Rudy Project, Marchon Eyewear, Safilo, Bushnell, Signature Eyewear, Nike, Reebok, Quiksilver, Billabong and Adidas History

Oakley was started by Jim Jannard in 1975 in his garage with an initial investment of $300. The name Oakley came from Jannard's dog, an English Setter. Jannard began by

selling what he called 'The Oakley Grip' out of the back of his car at motocross events. His motorcycle grips were unlike other grips available at the time, using a patented material known as 'Unobtanium', a unique creation by Jannard. The material is still used to make the earsocks on Oakley glasses, and many of the nose pieces. Oakley went on to produce number plates, gloves, grips, elbow guards, chin guards, and goggles for the BMX and motocross communities.

In 1980, Jannard released a pair of goggles called the O-Frame. With the 'Oakley' logo present on the strap, the brand garnered increasing recognition and prominence throughout the sports industry. In 1983 Oakley began selling ski goggles.

The first Oakley sunglasses, Factory Pilot Eyeshades, were sport-oriented, resembling goggles. These were followed by the Oakley Frogskin, a casual sunglass style.

The company went public in 1995.

Oakley signed a four-year agreement to manufacture eyewear designed by themselves and Fox Racing in September 2004.

In 2006, Oakley acquired the Oliver Peoples group, a manufacturer of high-end fashion branded eyewear.

On June 21, 2007, Italian group Luxottica announced a plan to merge with Oakley in a cash deal worth $2.1 billion, and the deal was completed on November 15, 2007. Oakley is now in the portfolio of Milan-based Luxottica group, along with other brands such as Ray-Ban, Persol, and Vogue.

During the preparations for the ultimately successful rescue of thirty three miners trapped for ten weeks in a Chilean mine in October 2010, a journalist covering the story contacted Oakley about donating sunglasses to the rescue effort, aware that the miners would need eye protection after having spent weeks in darkness. Oakley donated 35 pairs of its Radar sports glasses, fitted with specially selected tints.

Prada Prada S.p.A. (Italian pronunciation: [prada] is an Italian fashion label specializing in luxury goods for men and women (ready-to-wear, leather and fashion accessories, shoes, luggage, perfume etc.), founded in 1913 by Mario Prada. History Foundations

The company was started in 1913 by Mario Prada and his brother Martino as a leathergoods shop Fratelli Prada (English: Prada Brothers) in Milan, Italy. Initially, the shop sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags.

Mario Prada did not believe that women should have a role in business, and so he prevented female family members from entering into his company. Ironically, Mario's son harbored no interest in the business, so it was his daughter Luisa Prada who took the helm of Prada as his successor, and ran it for almost twenty years. Her own daughter, Miuccia Prada, joined the company in 1970, eventually taking over for her mother in 1978.

Miuccia began making waterproof backpacks out of Pocone. She met Patrizio Bertelli in 1977, an Italian who had begun his own leathergoods business at the age of 17, and he joined the company soon after. He advised Miucciaand she followed the adviceon better decisions for the Prada company. It was his advice to discontinue importing English goods and to change the existing luggage styles.

Development of Prada A new look into the 21st century

The company's merger and purchasing sprees slowed in the 2000s. However, the company signed a loose agreement with Azzedine Alaia. Skin care products in unit doses

were introduced in the United States, Japan and Europe in 2000. A 30-day supply of cleansing lotion was marketed at the retail price of US$100. To help pay off debts of over US$850 million, the company planned on listing 30% of the company on the Milan Stock Exchange in June 2001. However, the offering slowed down after a decline in spending on luxury goods in the United States and Japan. In 2001, under the pressure of his bankers, Bertelli sold all of Prada's 25.5% share in Fendi to LVMH. The sale raised only US$295 million.

By 2006, the Helmut Lang, Amy Fairclough, and Jil Sander labels were sold. Jil Sander was sold to the private equity firm Change Capital Partners, which was headed by Luc Vandevelde, the chairman of Carrefour, while the Helmut Lang label is now owned by Japanese fashion company Link Theory. Prada is still recovering from the Fendi debt. More recently, a 45% stake of the Church & Company brand has been sold to Equinox.

According to Fortune, Betelli plans on increasing revenue of the company to US$5 billion by 2010.

Prada is the main buyer from the Turkish leather factory DESA, which was found guilty by the Turkish Supreme Court of illegally dismissing workers who joined a union. The Clean Clothes Campaign, a labor rights organization based in Europe, has called on Prada to ensure that freedom of association is respected at the factory.

The brand listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in June 2011 which raised about $2.14 billion. Also is branching into making more durable sandals.

Polaroid Eyewear Polaroid Eyewear manufactures polarized sunglasses and polarized lenses, as well as optical frames, reading glasses, and clip-on lenses.

The company also sells eyewear under the Polaroid Polarized Sunglasses, Polaroid Eyewear, Disney, Revlon, Hello Kitty, and Sunmate brand names.

Polaroid Eyewear was a part of the StyleMark group and sold to the Safilo Group in November 2011. They have offices in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Russia, Hong Kong, and the United States. Corporate history See also: Polaroid Corporation

Edwin Land, born in 1909 in Connecticut, invented Polaroid, the world's first polarizing material for commercial use, in 1929. He founded the Polaroid Corporation in 1937 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The company initially produced Polaroid Day Glasses, the first sunglasses with a polarizing filter.

Petters Group Worldwide, the owner of the Polaroid brand at the time, sold Polaroid Eyewear to specialist eyewear company StyleMark in March 2007. StyleMark is a global distributor of fashion, sport, and children's sunglasses.

With its headquarters in Zrich, Switzerland, Polaroid Eyewear operates as an autonomous business. The company manufactures its Polaroid polarizing lenses at its European Research Centre in the Vale of Leven, Scotland.

Gucci 'Guccio Gucci, better known simply as Gucci (Italian pronunciation: is an Italian fashion and leather goods brand, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR. Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921.

Gucci generated circa 4.2 billion in revenue worldwide in 2008 according to BusinessWeek magazine and climbed to 41st position in the magazine's annual 2009 "Top Global 100 Brands" chart created by Interbrand. Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand. Gucci operates about 278 directly operated stores worldwide (as of September 2009) and it wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale department stores.

History

From modest beginnings at the end of the 19th century, the Gucci company became one of the worlds most successful manufacturers of high-end leather goods, clothing, and other fashion products. As an immigrant in Paris and then London, working in exclusive hotels, young Guccio Gucci (18811953) was impressed with the luxurious luggage he saw urbane guests bring with them. Upon returning to his birthplace of Florence, a city distinguished for high-quality materials and skilled artisans, he established a shop in 1920 that sold fine leather goods with classic styling. Although Gucci organized his workrooms for industrial methods of production, he maintained traditional aspects of fabrication. Initially Gucci employed skilled workers in basic Florentine leather crafts, attentive to finishing. With expansion, machine stitching was a production method that supported construction.

Together with three of his sons, Aldo Gucci (19051990), Vasco Gucci (19071975), and Rodolfo Gucci (19121983), Gucci expanded the company to include stores in Milan and Rome as well as additional shops in Florence. Guccis stores featured such finely crafted leather accessories as handbags, shoes, and his iconic ornamented loafer as well as silks and knitwear in a signature pattern.

The company made handbags of cotton canvas rather than leather during World War II as a result of material shortages. The canvas, however, was distinguished by a signature double-G symbol combined with prominent red and green bands. After the war, the Gucci crest, which showed a shield and armored knight surrounded by a ribbon inscribed with the family name, became synonymous with the city of Florence.

Aldo and Rodolfo Gucci further expanded the companys horizons in 1953 by establishing offices in New York City. Film stars and jet-set travelers to Italy during the 1950s and 1960s brought their glamour to Florence, turning Guccis merchandise into international status symbols. Movie stars posed in Guccis clothing, accessories, and footwear for lifestyle magazines around the world, contributing to the companys growing reputation. Gucci shop on Strget in Copenhagen, Denmark

Guccis distinctive lines made its products among the most frequently copied in the world in the early 2000s. Pigskin, calf, and imported exotic animal skins were subjected to various methods of fabrication. Waterproof canvas and satin were used for evening bags. Bamboo was first used to make handbag handles by a process of heating and

molding in 1947, and purses made with a shoulder strap and snaffle-bit decoration were introduced in 1960. In 1964 Guccis lush butterfly pattern was custom-created for silk foulards, followed by equally luxuriant floral patterns. The original Gucci loafer was updated by a distinctive snaffle-bit ornament in 1966, while the Rolls-Royce luggage set was introduced in 1970. Watches, jewelry, ties, and eyewear were then added to the companys product lines. A particularly iconic touch, introduced in 1964, was the use of the double-G logo for belt buckles and other accessory decorations.

The company prospered through the 1970s, but the 1980s were marked by internal family disputes that brought Gucci to the brink of disaster. Rodolfos son Maurizio took over the companys direction after his fathers death in 1983, and dismissed his uncle Aldowho eventually served a prison term for tax evasion. Maurizio proved to be an unsuccessful president; he was compelled to sell the family-owned company to Investcorp,a Bahrain-based company, in 1988. Maurizio disposed of his remaining stock in 1993. Tragically, Maurizio was murdered in Milan in 1995, and his former wife, Patrizia Reggiani, was convicted of hiring his killers. Meanwhile, the new investors promoted the American-educated Domenico De Sole from the position of family attorney to president of Gucci America in 1994 and chief executive in 1995.

The company had previously brought in Dawn Mello in 1989 as editor and ready-towear designer in order to reestablish its reputation. Well aware of Guccis tarnished image and the value of its name brand, Mello hired Tom Ford in 1990 to design a ready-to-wear line. He was promoted to the position of creative director in 1994. Before Mello returned to her post as president of the American retailer Bergdorf Goodman, she initiated the return of Guccis headquarters from the business center of Milan to Florence, where its craft traditions were rooted. There she and Ford reduced the number of Gucci products from twenty thousand to a more reasonable five thousand.

There were seventy-six Gucci stores around the world in 1997, along with numerous licensing agreements. Ford was instrumental in the process of decision-making with De Sole when the Gucci Group acquired Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Sergio Rossi, and, in part-ownership with Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen and Balenciaga. By 2001 Ford and De Sole shared the responsibility for major business decisions, while Ford concurrently directed design at Yves Saint Laurent as well as at Gucci.

The French conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, however, gained ownership of 60 percent of the Gucci Groups stock in 2003. Womens Wear Daily then announced the departure of both Domenico De Sole and Tom Ford from the Gucci Group when their contracts expired in April 2004. The last spring collection under the direction of Ford and De Sole was a critical and commercial success. Amid widespread speculation in the fashion press about Fords heir, the company announced in March 2004 that he would be replaced by a team of younger designers promoted from the ranks of the companys staff.

In 2005, Frida Giannini was appointed as the creative director for womens ready-to-wear and accessories, previously joining Gucci in 2002. In 2006, she also became the creative director for men's ready-to-wear and the entire Gucci label.

Luxottica or Vogue Eyewears Luxottica Group S.p.A. is the world's largest eyewear company. Its best known brand is Persol. It also makes sunglasses and prescription frames for a multitude of designer brands such as Chanel and Prada, whose designs and trademarks are used under license. Luxottica also makes sunglasses branded Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Stella McCartney,Versace, Vogue, Miu Miu, Tory Burch and Donna Karan. Its prime competitor is the Safilo Group S.p.A. History On the American date of May, 10th, 2013 the Italian company Luxottica Group S.p.A. sold all of it's American holdings to the American company The Blackstone Group. The Italian company's former American holdings included: Oakley, Sunglasses Hut International, Ray-Ban and Pearle Optometrics. Leonardo Del Vecchio started the company in 1961, in Agordo north of Belluno, Italy; today the company is headquartered in Milan.

Del Vecchio began his career as the apprentice to a tool and die maker in Milan, but decided to turn his metalworking skills to making spectacle parts. So in 1961 he moved to Agordo in the province of Belluno, which is home to most of the Italian eyewear industry. The new company was Luxottica s.a.s., a limited partnership with Del Vecchio as one of the founding partners. In 1967 he started selling complete eyeglass frames under the Luxottica brand, which proved successful enough that by 1971 he ended the contract manufacturing business.

Convinced of the need for vertical integration, in 1974 he acquired Scarrone, a distribution company. In 1981 the company set up its first international subsidiary, in Germany, the first in a rapid period of international expansion. The first of many licensing deals with a designer was struck with Armani, in 1988.

The company listed in New York in 1990, and in Milan in December 2000, joining the MIB-30 (now S&P/MIB) index in September 2003. The listing raised money for the company and allowed it to use its shares to acquire other brands, starting with Italian brand Vogue in 1990, Persol and US Shoe Corporation (Lens Crafters) in 1995, Ray-Ban in 1999 and Sunglass Hut, Inc. in 2001.Luxottica later increased its presence in the retail sector by acquiring Sydney-based OPSM in 2003, Pearle Vision and Cole National in 2004.

The company also acquired Oakley in a US$2.1bn deal in November 2007,and in August 2011 Erroca for 20 million.

DKNY DKNY (Donna Karan New York) is a label of fashion designer Donna Karan. It is also the name of a clothing store in New York City featuring Donna Karan's associated line. History

Inspired by her daughter Gaby, Donna Karan founded DKNY in 1989 in New York as a younger, more affordable diffusion line to run alongside her existing Donna Karan New York label. DKNY became a publicly traded venture in 1996, and 2001, was purchased by French corporation Louis Vuitton Mot Hennessy. Stores from begining

Stores opened in London in 1997 and New York City in 1999. The DKNY headquarters is located at 550 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York. There are currently seventy Donna Karan collection and DKNY stores globally, including twenty stores in China including Hong Kong and Shanghai, two stores in Canada including Vancouver, B.C. and Montreal, four in Dubai. DKNY has also opened some stores in Denmark.

Since 2005, Donna Karan has offered online shopping of its DKNY and associated lines at the label's web site. Products range from DKNY and DKNY Jeans womens wear, accessories, underwear, shoes, baby clothing, the PURE collection to DKNY menswear. The latter was available up until the spring 2002 season. Since then only the DKNY Jeans label, underwear, eyewear and watches have been offered online for men. Current Labels DKNY glasses with a black outer frame and blue inside the frame.

Many labels and brands have branched off of the original DKNY brand/label including DKNY Jeans, pure, DKNY Active, DKNY Underwear, DKNY Juniors, DKNY Kids, and DKNY Baby. After eight years of creating only womens apparel, Karan generated a menswear collection called DKNY Men in 1992. This new label consists of tailored suits, dress wear, formalwear, casual wear, sportswear, and shoes. The DKNY beauty collection was also created in 1992. In 2001, the DKNY Home collection, which includes traditional luxury bedding and accessories, and DKNY LIFE, which has more contemporary and fashion-forward bedding, were introduced. Controversy

DKNY has recently become embroiled in controversy over street photography it admits it used in one of its stores, without permission, from the New York City street photographer, Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York (HONY). After Stanton learned of the use of his photography, he publicly asked DKNY to donate $100,000 to the YMCA to help with summer programs. Amidst strong criticism on social media sites, DKNY apologized and donated $25,000 to the YMCA. Stanton then asked his followers on the HONY Facebook page to make up the difference to reach his initial goal of $100,000, which was successfully reached Friday, March 1.