We all associate Oakley as leaders of innovation, masters of design and producers of world class eyewear. But did you know that Oakley began as a BMX grip manufacturer?

The history of Oakley takes the viewer through the humble beginnings of the global eyewear giant Oakley. The piece is beautifully shot and edited by Harrison Boyce from BMX blog def grip.
Harrison takes us on a personal journey with Mike Bell a former AMA Supercross champion and an employee of Oakley who started in 1985. Mike shares with us the largely unknown stories of Oakley founder Jim Jannards triumphs and failures on their rocky road to success.
Mike opens a window into the past as we learn about Oakley’s first product the BMX grip B1B and their transition to eyewear. We learn about how they struggled with patent infringements to their success story of Oakley’s iconic and possibly most successful product the O-Frame goggle.
So sit back and enjoy this wonderfully crafted piece!

History of Oakley from Defgrip on Vimeo.