WHEN DISCUSSING OAKLEY'S MOST DISRUPTIVE DESIGNS, MARS STANDS OUT. ORIGINALLY ENVISIONED BY OAKLEY BOARD MEMBER MICHAEL JORDAN, IT DEBUTED IN MARCH 1998 AND QUICKLY BECAME ONE OF THEIR MOST SOUGHT-AFTER OAKLEY SUNGLASSES. THE CREATION OF THE MARS REQUIRED A POWERFUL SIX-TON GENERATOR AND PRECISE MACHINING TO ACHIEVE A .0005" PRECISION FOR THE X-METAL FRAME. DESPITE ITS SHORT PRODUCTION RUN, THE MARS EMBODIED OAKLEY'S DISRUPTIVE SPIRIT, GAINING A CULT FOLLOWING AND APPEARING IN HOLLYWOOD MOVIES LIKE "FIGHT CLUB" IN 1999. IN 2004, AFTER JUST SIX YEARS, OAKLEY DISCONTINUED THE MARS, MARKING THE END OF A REMARKABLE DESIGN LEGACY THAT STILL LIVES ON.
MICHEAL SHELLIS FOR DICKIES
December 13, 2024
