Oakley to add a European touch to its sports apparel

By

Olivier Guyot

Published
Mar 9, 2016

In 2016, Oakley will feature significantly in the sports world. For the Rio Olympic Games, the American brand, part of the Italian group Luxottica, is counting on over one hundred medal-winning athletes to bring its products to the podium. Oakley's leading sports will be beach volleyball, rowing, track and field and, of course, cycling.  

The brand will also enjoy a presence at the Tour de France. Oakley is, in fact, a sponsor of several cycling champions, such as Mark Cavendish, and its logo will be also featured on the Dimension Data team's jerseys. It is a strong signal, marking the brand's new ambitions in performance apparel.
 
For Oakley, apparel is already one of its three mainstays, alongside sunglasses and goggles. The brand has targeted two segments which should drive its growth in the next few years. The first is eyeglasses: it already has a presence in this market, but with its sunglasses, so it will be developing the more optical side. The second is, of course, apparel.

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In order to expand this segment, the collections for which are designed by Oakley in the USA, the brand has decided to develop a range better suited to the European market. The Luxottica subsidiary has therefore incorporated the staff of the Tu Glam design company, which it recently acquired.

The Italian, Modena-based company has been operating for more than ten years, and will contribute its expertise with a style and especially a fit that will be all the more attractive to European customers.

After a first foray at the Tour de France 2016, Oakley will be presenting a new cycling collection for spring 2017, before starting to redesign some of its other lines.