Each week, we dive into the vast archives of our favourite brands and houses to extract and share their most luxurious or technical (and thus, pricey) miscellanea. This week, our drip of choice is Oakley’s latest sunglass, Hydra.
You don’t have to actually be out and about to dress like you are out and about. Out in the streets, yes, but really looking like you are equipped for the throes of the wilderness, in the depths of nature, fully submissive to the elements.
Nowadays, it’s about rediscovering adventure, reviving wanderlust, and revisiting faraway lands that are no longer only accessible via moving images online. And it’s not without risk, so the sense of freedom and the hardiness of outdoor gear provides remedies for the somewhat daunting return to truly visceral experiences — which explains why the current climate (both fashion and physical) is perfect for gorpcore to thrive, throwing technical sportswear staples into the spotlight of everyday fashion.
Oakley’s Hydra, a new Razor Blades-inspired, semi-rimless sunglass with a shield lens, is one example. Diving into the brand’s surfing heritage, the Hydra’s streamlined silhouette evokes the highs and lows, the excitement and adventure of riding waves and enjoying a day in and around the ocean with friends — perfectly adaptable to urban lifestyles even without the sea element.
As for its technicalities, it is no less professionally designed as it is made for street styling. The Hydra features the Oakley original logo on the temples, a nod to other surf styles of the ‘80s and ‘90s like Razor Blades, Oakley’s first foray into surf culture-inspired eyewear. Accentuated by a modern trigger stem design, the Hydra is also reminiscent of Razor Blades’ silhouette, while the brow of the frame has been updated with design architecture more similar to Oakley’s Kato®, launched in 2021.
Other unique Oakley features round out the sunglass, including Prizm™ Lens Technology, which enhances colour and contrast, as well as Unobtainium® no-slip grip nose pads with low-bridge fit options.
The campaign is fronted by pro surfers and TeamOakley athletes Ethan Ewing and Griffin Colapinto, pictured while on a surf trip in Indonesia. Even if surfing is beyond you, its spirit is inherent in everyone; the future is nostalgic, and these sunglasses can easily be used in the way it was made to be used — for good times only, anywhere.
Click here to catch up with our October 2022 issue.
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