The color orange is symbolic of much of life itself; bold, fiery, unique and sometimes blinding, a color that ignited a group of active friends in Southern California to re-invent eyewear. Their vision was orange and a single thought rang true: “it’s not seeing different things; it’s seeing the same things differently.”
Spy Optic was created by a group of action sports and motorsports enthusiasts who immersed themselves in the culture they knew best. Key founders Mark Simo, Brian Simo and Beaver Theodosakis saw what was on the market for eyewear in 1994 and wanted to make sunglasses better. As authentic, well-connected action sports entrepreneurs, their unbridled enthusiasm for reinventing modern eyewear attracted the world’s best athletes from motorsports, surfing and snowboarding. Spy’s athletes became a huge and influential part of the Spy family and the team’s mojo combined with Jerome Mage’s innovative design sense helped fuel the brand’s rapid growth.
A world-class roster of athletes helped shape, build and lay a foundation for the Spy brand. Snowboarders Shaun Palmer, Victoria Jelouse, Marc Frank Montoya, David Carrier-Porcheron, surfers Sunny Garcia and Malloy brothers, BMX rider Jamie Bestwick, motocross sensation Jeremy McGrath, skateboarder Danny Way, NASCAR drivers Richard “The King” and son Kyle Petty, Indy Car superstars Christian Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy. Spy team riders are not only elite athletes, fun personalities, but also key influencers in the development and design of its technical products for sunglasses, motocross and snow goggles.
Spy’s design is not only aesthetically pleasing, but continues to push the technological limits in eyewear. Spy’s innovative patented Scoop® technology revolutionized its sport sunglass frames. The Spy Scoop® venting system combats lens fogging by promoting airflow between the lens and the wearer’s face. This system was such a success; its technology was seamlessly integrated and applied to its snow and motocross goggles. Spy’s polarization treatments superseded existing eyewear standards with its premium injected Trident polarized lenses. The lenses effectively eliminate more than 99% of blinding glare for precise, unobstructed vision. Spy’s ground-breaking technological advancement of the all new patent-pending dual Mosaic® lens in the Apollo snow goggle uses a proprietary anti-fog and anti-scratch lens that offers brilliant and maximum peripheral vision with nominal profile. Its one-of-a-kind lens technology is the most advan ced on the market today.
To continue to push the envelope for exceptional excellence and standards, in 2005, Spy acquired LEM S.r.l., a high quality sunglass and goggle manufacturer in Varese, Italy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orange 21 Inc., the parent company of Spy Optic. A majority of Spy’s sunglasses are hand fabricated at LEM S.r.l., which has crafted premium eyewear for Spy and other superior eyewear brands for over 15 years. Spy Optic’s products are unique and the development is original. Each sunglass and goggle’s roots can be traced from original sketch to finished product.
Live through our lens…
Spy Optic, Inc. designs, develops and sells premium eyewear products for the youth lifestyle market within action sports, fashion, music, and entertainment sectors. Spy’s principal products, sunglasses and goggles, target the action sports market, including surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, motorsports, and wakeboarding and skiing. Spy’s innovative proprietary products utilize high-quality materials, handcrafted manufacturing processes and engineered optical lens technology to convey premium quality, contemporary style, and progressive design. Spy Optic, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orange 21 Inc. (NASDAQ:ORNG). Please visit
www.spyoptic.com or contact
info@spyoptic.com
for inquiries.
GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS
Spy Optic, Inc.
2070 Las Palmas Drive
Carlsbad, CA 92011 USA
760. 804. 8420
www.spyoptic.com
info@spyoptic.com
