Inspired by Ferrari’s engineering technology, Oakley has designed a special-edition eyewear range that celebrates a new multi-year partnership between the two companies.
Named after the racing team, the new Scuderia Ferrari Collection was unveiled by Scuderia Ferrari driver and former Formula 1 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen at an event in Barcelona.
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Racing ahead: Oakley’s latest eyewear range was inspired by race car engineering and is the result of a multi-year alliance with Scuderia Ferrari |
In addition to the launch, the partnership will see Oakley become the eyewear official licensee and supplier to Scuderia Ferrari. The team’s racers, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Pedro de la Rosa and Marc Gené, will carry the Oakley logo on their F1 helmets throughout 2014 and wear the Oakley Scuderia Ferrari eyewear on and off the track.
At the launch event, Oakley Design Engineers Ryan Calilung and Ryan Salor, alongside Scuderia Ferrari’s Alessandra Cenicola, who engineered the production of the front and rear wing of the F1 single seater, shared their design experiences. Oakley engineers said they often borrow design and mechanical elements, such as chassis shape and suspension mechanics, from motorsport and automotive engineering, for frame design and hinge mechanisms.
Oakley’s Calilung said: “The biggest inspiration behind the Scuderia Ferrari Carbon Blade can be seen in the materials used to create it. Carbon fibre is central to the engineering process at Scuderia Ferrari, and we wanted to reflect that passion for excellence and cutting edge innovation in the Carbon Blade. Carbon fibre has been used before in eyewear, but never in this way. Rather than shaping pieces from flat rigid plates, we moulded the carbon layers into a flexible frame structure, creating a highly engineered solution.”
Ferrari’s Perrone said: “When we sign an agreement with a new partner, we look for leaders in their industry who share our vision and values. Innovation, passion and commitment to results underpin everything Scuderia Ferrari does. Oakley represents all those things in the eyewear field and is a company that makes innovation a driver for its success. We are very proud and excited at Ferrari for this partnership, both for us as a brand and for all the Scuderia Ferrari fans around the world.”
The limited-edition Carbon Blade is the key feature of the eight-piece Scuderia Ferrari collection. Each model features colour highlights in Scuderia Ferrari red and is laser-etched with the Scuderia Ferrari emblem in the corner of the lens. Each edition is packaged in a custom-made case.
