LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tom Cruise has been in the news for the last few months for successfully reviving his character of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in his 2022 film ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ However, he is not only uber successful in reviving just one of his previously played characters, but also brought back an eyewear brand from the verge of extinction. Guess what the brand is!
Tom Cruise made his acting debut in 1980 with ‘Endless Love’ but his breakthrough came with the release of the 1983 movie ‘Risky Business.’ However, the young Tom Cruise has been forever etched in the memory of cinemagoers and fashionistas not only for his infectious smile but also for his ‘Wayfarers.’ And that’s where the story begins of Tom Cruise being the knight in shining armor to save Ray-Bans from extinction.
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Tom Cruise and Ray-Bans
The 1983 movie, ‘Risky Business’ had a scene that later became iconic as Tom Cruise was seen grooving to Bob Seger's ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’ wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and as many fans believe, a pair of sunglasses from Ray-Ban. However, in the rest of the movie, he indeed sported his Ray-Bans. As Cruise rocked the brand’s ‘Wayfarer’ model of sunglasses, it became an instant hit and the sales jumped to almost 360,000 pairs a year from a modest 200,000 pairs previously, reports Firstpost. Bausch & Lomb was initially planning to discontinue the iconic line but retracted it because of the rise in sales.
How ‘Top Gun’ aided in reviving Aviators?
Ray-Bans are a trademark eyewear line by the renowned optics brand Bausch & Lomb. As history goes by, Bausch & Lomb was tasked with making anti-glare sunglasses for fighter pilots during the Second World War. After the conclusion of the war, the anti-glare sunglasses were re-marketed as Ray-Bans as they banned the sun rays, reports CBC.
Ray-Ban ‘Aviators’ completed a full cycle of life as Tom Cruise sported the pair originally meant for the fighter pilots in his 1986 classic, ‘Top Gun.’ Sales shot up again and by 1988, Ray-Bans recorded selling around 3 to 4 million pairs annually, reports Firstpost.
‘No, man. These are Ray-Bans’
The ‘Jack Reacher’ actor’s love for the Ray-Bans continued as in 2013, Cruise was seen wearing shades from the brand to the premiere of ‘Star Trek: Into Darkness.’ When he was asked whether the eyewear was 3-D glasses, Cruise replied, “No, man. These are Ray-Bans.”
Norman Salik, once the Vice-President of the brand said, ''Sales of Wayfarers were 111,000 a year in 1982,'' before adding that Tom Cruise ''just likes our products,” reports Chicago Tribune. After taking a break from Ray-Bans in 'Rain Man,' Cruise went back to his favorite brand again in ‘Born on the Fourth of July.’