Oliver Peoples

Oliver Peoples

Type	Subsidiary of Luxottica Group S.p.a.
Founded	1986
Headquarters	Los Angeles, CA, United States
Number of locations	8 retail stores
Key people	Larry Leight (Co-Founder and Creative Director) David Schulte (CEO)
Products	Eyewear and Sunglasses
Website	www.oliverpeoples.com

Oliver Peoples is an American luxury eyewear brand, established in 1986 by Ken Schwartz and Larry Leight.^[1] The company opened its first boutique in West Hollywood, CA and appeared on the cover of German Vogue in 1987.^[2] The design house now includes a number of brands, including Oliver Peoples Eyewear, Paul Smith Spectacles and most recently Oliver Peoples WEST.^[3] In addition to being sold in Oliver Peoples boutiques and via oliverpeoples.com, the eyewear can be found in a variety of notable fashion boutiques and department stores throughout the world.

The brand has been featured in numerous fashion magazines, including GQ, Vogue, Elle, L'Uomo Vogue, Esquire and Vanity Fair.^[4] Characterized by subtle detailing, retro aesthetics and high-quality materials, their frames are popular with celebrities, including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Tom Cruise.^[5] Recently celebrating twenty-five years in the industry, the brand remains highly influential, creating campaigns that deploy film, music and designer collaborations that communicate a lifestyle that is distinctly Los Angeles.^[6]

In 2006, Oakley, now a subsidiary of Luxottica, acquired Oliver Peoples for $46.7 million.^[7]

Cultural references

In the show Burn Notice, the main character, Michael Westen, is a frequent wearer of Oliver Peoples Victory sunglasses, size 55 with Cognac lenses.

In the 2000 film American Psycho, the protagonist Patrick Bateman mentions that his yuppie colleague, Marcus Halberstram, has the same penchant for Oliver Peoples glasses as he does.^[8]

In the Season 6 finale of the show Entourage, Vincent Chase and Johnny Chase are seen buying sunglasses from the flagship Oliver Peoples store on Sunset Boulevard, before their trip to Italy, where they also run into actor Matt Damon.

In the show Damages, the main character Patty Hewes, as portrayed by Glenn Close, wears the Oliver Peoples O'Malley sunglasses. As of July 2013, Close has auctioned off her signature glasses on eBay, in efforts to raise funds for her charity.^[9]

Oliver Peoples collaborated with Zooey Deschanel on her second successful short film, Catch a Tuesday.^[10]

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard recently started wearing Ashton in Red Tortoise Gradient, initially at the National Press Club, where she announced September 14 as the date for the 2013 Federal Election starting the longest election campaign (9 months) in Australia's history.^[11]

References