The Oliver Peoples eyewear brand was started in 1986 when two opticians, Larry and Dennis Leight were encouraged by friends and family to start their own business. The two opticians opened their first boutique on the Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood. The trendy boutique started by selling a collection of vintage eyewear that the pair had recently bought in an estate auction.
The collection that the pair originally bought included thousands of American made rimless glasses and metal frames that features clip on metal sunglasses. The collection was a vintage haul featuring designs from companies such as American Optical and Bausch & Lomb. The glasses were unworn and in mint condition and many still had the original packaging. These made up the first products that the pair would sell in their boutique.
The pair bought the entire collection at an estate auction and the thousands of glasses came with a receipt signed with the name "Oliver Peoples". The founders assumed this was the original owner and distributor of the eyewear collection and thought it was only fitting to name the company and boutique "Oliver Peoples" to honour the original owner.
The company was instantly successful when they started selling their vintage eyewear that they had bought an auction and they realised what the next move should be. The pair decided to create and sell a collection of eyewear through innovative marketing and become a high end retail brand specifically for optical products.
The first collection released under the brand was presented in 1987 at an eyewear expo, heavily influenced by the original collection vintage frames that the company started with, the range become instantly popular with distributors and retailers due to the unique designs. At the time the eyewear industry was covered with futuristic frames and loud designs.
The eyewear range offered by Oliver Peoples was a sharp contrast to the other manufacturers at the time and were popular with runway fashion. The fashion industry was about to take a sharp turn into vintage inspired designs and so the brand was able to capitalise on this change in creative direction and become very successful.
The collection that the pair originally bought included thousands of American made rimless glasses and metal frames that features clip on metal sunglasses. The collection was a vintage haul featuring designs from companies such as American Optical and Bausch & Lomb. The glasses were unworn and in mint condition and many still had the original packaging. These made up the first products that the pair would sell in their boutique.
The pair bought the entire collection at an estate auction and the thousands of glasses came with a receipt signed with the name "Oliver Peoples". The founders assumed this was the original owner and distributor of the eyewear collection and thought it was only fitting to name the company and boutique "Oliver Peoples" to honour the original owner.
The company was instantly successful when they started selling their vintage eyewear that they had bought an auction and they realised what the next move should be. The pair decided to create and sell a collection of eyewear through innovative marketing and become a high end retail brand specifically for optical products.
The first collection released under the brand was presented in 1987 at an eyewear expo, heavily influenced by the original collection vintage frames that the company started with, the range become instantly popular with distributors and retailers due to the unique designs. At the time the eyewear industry was covered with futuristic frames and loud designs.
The eyewear range offered by Oliver Peoples was a sharp contrast to the other manufacturers at the time and were popular with runway fashion. The fashion industry was about to take a sharp turn into vintage inspired designs and so the brand was able to capitalise on this change in creative direction and become very successful.
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