Sunglasses Fashion of the 70’s

Although the history of the optics dates back to more than 100 years, we would like to start on in the end of the 60..s to supply you with some background information on those sunglasses we are offering you.

In the sixties, special emphasis was given to functional features and practicality of glasses above all. Individual manufacturers like Neostyle, Persol or Ray Ban produced partially through handicraft incredibly solid glasses and sunglasses, which entirely served to protect the eye. These glasses distinguished themselves by a solid manufacture and indescribable quality of the materials.Nevertheless, the massif manufacture and the use of mineral glass for lenses also brought a disadvantage since the glasses became quite heavy through the used materials, and this was found as very unpleasant while wearing.

The 70..s: Sunglasses Come Into “Fashion” With the beginning of the 70s, the image of the optics changed and for the first time, it was not only the functional features, which was given special emphasis to, but it was also the design. The slogan “the glasses for the dress” determined the change back then. Since then, strong colours were used and the form and design of the sunglasses were varied at will. Also the development of plastic lenses in spite of the original mineral-glazed lenses presented itself unexpected opportunities. Thanks to this innovation, it was possible to widen the diameter of the glasses because the glasses became much lighter through the use of plastic instead of glass. The best example of this development embodies the Futura series of Silhouette. These sunglasses of 1971-1973 were simply terrific and came out as a limited edition already at that time. Despite the incredible form, Silhouette always managed to combine design, quality, and functional features.

A further characteristic of the 70..s became the so-called melting glasses. The lenses of these sunglasses not only gave the glasses a more elegant look, they also considered the sunbeams from various directions at the same time. Furthermore, the so-called “ambermatic” lenses amazed the customers. These glasses automatically adapted themselves to the luminous intensity and darkened themselves automatically according to the luminosity.

The probably most outstanding development in the optics of the 70s was the invention of the material “Optyl” of Wilhelm Anger. W. Anger developed a plastic called Optyl, which dominated the optics into the 90s. This plastic was light and solid at the same time, barely triggered allergic reactions, and never seemed to loose its gloss even after decades.

Legendary designers, legendary qualityMany big brands like Dior, Dunhill, Playboy, P. Picasso, or Carrera let their glasses and sunglasses manufacture in the Optyl works of Wilhelm Anger in Austria. Therefore, most of the high quality sunglasses wear the Optyl sign and “Made in Austria” on the inside.