Oakleys Silent Rise
A brand that has been dominating eyewear for decades is oozing more and more into streetwear as the years pass by . With collabs with artists such as Travis Scott and brands like Braindead . I believe Oakley will make more waves to come and is only getting started. This doesn’t come as a surprise at all . Collectors have been buying vintage pieces on second-hand sites such as eBay and Mercari , especially the Oakley tech line. What started my love for this brand was when I ordered the Vertex boot off of their website .
A water-resistant tactical boot with a minimal design , cushioned support, and the overall shape . I fell in love with it the moment I put them on. It was indeed the perfect shoe, and it was put to the test beaten day in and day out , used for hiking , everyday commutes , and work. I beat the hell out of my first pair for the 1st year. I then proceeded to go down the rabbit hole of what Oakley has to offer around the time that Braindead also started having collaborations with Oakley, and I got my hands on one of the 1st releases of the Oakley Chop Saws back in 22.
These things were both stylish and comfortable . With the Y2K nostalgia for bulky shoes and a unique design, these shoes are timeless . Not following a trend or trying to be anything else other than what the brand represents being durable, comfortable, and unique . Prices on these have begun to increase over time going over retail by at least 150 for the OG colorways. Braindead has continued to release more versions of Oakley shoes as well with different models besides the Chop-Saw. You can also catch some features of the iconic “O” logo in music videos such as Destroy Lonely’s “Potato Loaded”
And as of yesterday, Travis Scott is now collaborating with Oakley on a Cactus Jack pair set to drop later this year. And of course, how can I not mention the Oakley Meta glasses ? With recent technological trends, Oakley’s collab with Meta puts them at the forefront of this new wave of recording eyewear as well as the recent social media use to make content creating easier and faster, giving us a great way of capturing 1st-person point of views .
With that being said, I can see Oakley becoming bigger in the streetwear culture, not counting the already massive success that it has had over decades. It’s not that Oakley is a small, underrated brand by any means . It’s a massive brand that has had its own set of enthusiasts for a while now , but I feel like it will pick up a lot of traction in these other communities.