An ’80s relic returns

Some things should never be resuscitated from the back bins of ukay-ukays and bodegas. Shoulder pads, mullets, my mother’s matronic floral dresses, Scott Baio: these are ’80s relics that should never come back.

Vuarnet isn’t one of them. The popular sunglasses label made waves in the early ’80s when almost every cool kid, dressed in their bright pastel T-shirts, with sleeves pushed up, and sockless loafers, sported the shades. Not available in Manila at the time, the shades reached cult status when people went so far as to purchase the premium eyewear during jaunts to the US or Europe.

Created in France, the label was named after legendary Olympic skier Jean Vuarnet. The Tunisian-born former Alpine French skier was heralded by the French when he garnered the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in California’s Squaw Valley.

But it was in 1984 that the sunglasses became a worldwide hit. When the label partnered with the LA Olympic Games, professional athletes were spotted donning the high-performance eye gear, making the label practically a household name.

Vuarnet cultists swear by the label’s high-tech manufacturing process and high optical performance. Fanatics worship the original large-framed, almost cat’s-eye shape of the glasses – the signature specs of the French label.

The sunglasses utilize cutting-edge technology to manufacture the lenses, which are coated using Schott Spezialglas AG, and then processed to create a hardy finish. Scratch resistant compared to other plastic shades, Vuarnet is known for its glass lenses, which aren’t heavy at all. With UVA, UVB and UVC radiation filters, they’re capable of withstanding high-intensity, high-impact sports.

Even Comitec executive Jean-Pierre Marie, a member of the company responsible for the manufacturing of the label’s dark glasses, is an adherent of mineral glass for sun protection. "Today, you can produce pre-stressed mineral glasses, making the product significantly more break resistant. In addition, contrary to prevailing opinion, the manufacture of the sunglasses is by no means less complex than that of prescription sunglasses."

Heat-tempered so it’s impact resistant, the lenses have a multi-layered, anti-reflective coating to eliminate glare. The lenses come in several variations: PX-2000, tinted for anti-glare and bounce-back light refraction; PX-3000 for true color transmission; and PX-5000, which sports enthusiasts favor because of its extreme protection. Because of the high-quality and high-performance level of the lenses, a V is etched onto each pair for authenticity.

Don’t Call It A Comeback

Despite its popularity, the brand took a hiatus after the early ’90s while the company restructured. Now Vuarnet is being distributed locally by a group of friends who have been diehard fans since the ’80s.

Juanjo Berenguer-Testa, Ames Legarda, and Bryan Head were all big fans of the label. They’ve been wearing the sporty shades since they were teenagers. All outdoorsy types, they often take diving trips, which explains their deep tans. The threesome decided to import the brand one day when they were brainstorming for a potential business venture.

"I just wondered what happened to Vuarnet," says Juanjo. "So, I just Googled it and then e-mailed the company asking if we could sell it in the Philippines."

Bask In The Shades

Though the classic style is dubbed Nautilus, there are several lines to meet every need. Each partner owns at least two pairs.

The Nylon line, a unisex collection, is made of a tough flexible material that allows the temple to be bent without breaking. "You can twist it," says Ames, bending the sidepiece of the sunglasses to demonstrate, "and it won’t break."

The Acetate line was created for women featuring a selection of ready-to-wear fashion-oriented styles in materials that resemble tortoiseshell and other prints. Another collection the threesome plans to introduce later in the year is the Vacancy X-treme, a line of sporty eyewear meant for the very active 13- to 18-year-old market.

"Bryan and I were playing golf once with a friend, and he dropped his glasses and stepped on them. Then our friend said, ‘Patay na yan,’" says Ames. "Bryan just picked them up and put them back on. They weren’t even scratched."

Now the eyewear is being sold at Sabater and Sarabia opticals around Metro Manila, and consumers have been raving about it.

"I have a friend who saw me wearing it on a dive trip once," says Ames. "When he saw my Vuarnet shades, he immediately purchased about 15 pairs for friends and family."

That’s the kind of cult-like loyalty many feel for the brand. And at a retail price of about P5,500 to P12,000, this sort of ardor doesn’t come cheap. But, as Bryan so eloquently reasoned, "These glasses last a long time."

"We told a friend to buy shades from us once," Bryan says with a laugh. "And he pulled a pair of Vuarnets out and said, ‘I already have one.’ Yeah, he got it during the ’80s."

* * *

Vuarnet is available in Sabater Optical at Power Plant Mall, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Amanpulo Resort; and in Sarabia Optical at Greenbelt 1, Glorietta, Alabang Town Center, Festival Mall, Robinsons Galleria, and Robinsons Ermita. The label will soon be available at Rustan’s Department Stores.