The 30 Best Sunglasses Brands to Wear Every Damn Day

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Sunglasses: A huge industry marked by behemoth licensing deals, a constant stream of brand collaborations, and a lot of ad dollars being spent seasonally. In the luxury sector especially, eyewear is one of the cash crows, generating sales that often exceed ready-to-wear, shoes, and bags. Why? Because sunglasses cost less than the other categories, but they impart the same cachet nonetheless. They are a great entryway into the world of the brand. And because they rest on the most visible part of your body, they are able to convey status instantly. Not to mention—they look fuckin' cool, and protect your eyes, too.

It's not that often that a dope accessory can be extremely fashionable and functional; really, the only thing even close to sunglasses are belts, but you don't see guys as cool as A$AP Rocky wearing statement-making belts at night, do you? You don't even have to get that crazy with sunglasses to find a reliable pair that works for you. Sure, some designers make avant garde frames that'll have passersby doing a double take, but some retailers make timeless, classy frames that you can wear for years to come.

So, if you want to know where your trust should lie, take a look at the list of names—from direct-to-consumer retailers to independent eyewear labels to premier fashion brands—that are worth your hard-earned dollar.

Warby Parker

The DTC darling and envy of investors the world over earned its reputation as the gold standard for digital disruptors by not skimping on the details when it comes to its shades.

Randolph Engineering

One of the few big brands doing sunglasses in the U.S. of A., Randolph produces its signature aviators—built to military specifications, so you know they're tough as nails—in Massachusetts using a process that takes a whopping 200 steps. Oh, also, the president wears 'em. So that's a decent endorsement.

Huckberry

OK, so, Huckberry might not be a pure-play sunglasses brand—not by any stretch—but when a company is offering up timelessly styled shades with polarized lenses for a scant $35, you pay attention.

Raen

Raen may not have the long history of some of the other brands on this list—it started in 2008—but the brand still delivers timeless style in spades. Inspired by surf culture, the California-based company offers up handmade sunglasses that cost a lot less than you'd expect.

Ray-Ban

Ray-Ban is the first and last name when it comes to sunglasses, with the catalog of now-signature styles to back it up. If Wayfarers were good enough for Tom Cruise in Risky Business, they're sure as hell good enough for you now.

Persol

Persol is the ultimate in Italian luxury sunglasses. The brand was a personal favorite of Steve McQueen's ever since the King of Cool showed up to the set of The Thomas Crown Affair rocking a pair of the brand's 714 shades (a style that now bears his name).

Carrera

Carrera has been making its signature racing-inspired sunglasses since the '50s, and a few decades later it received the ultimate stamp of approval: acquisition by Safilo, one of the biggest names in the business.

Tom Ford

Very few bona fide fashion brands have managed to become as solid a resource for sunglasses as Tom Ford. It helps that the designer himself is rarely seen without a pair these days, and that he is his brand's own best ambassador.

Oakley

Oakley's not just about unabashedly bright wraparound shades anymore (though those do offer exactly the right amount of over-the-top oomph for this era of maximalist menswear). The brand's classic styles, like the Frogskins you see here, are starting to look real solid right about now, too.

Illesteva

Illesteva runs a small but mighty operation in SoHo, New York. Founded in 2010 by Daniel Silberman, the brand has roughly 50 employees in total, all of whom are committed to offering exceptional frames and lenses that don't break the bank. And if that doesn't convince you, know that Bey and Daniel Craig are fans.

Oliver Peoples

Oliver Peoples' sunglasses make you think of sun-drenched California days and the seemingly endless opportunities of a long summer weekend. Is there any better endorsement than that (besides, perhaps, a particularly memorable American Psycho shoutout)?

Garrett Leight

Garrett Leight comes by the sunglasses trade honestly. The son of Larry Leight, the founder of Oliver Peoples, Garrett launched his own namesake label in 2011 after learning the ropes working for his dad's company, and today makes some of the best sunglasses around.

Retrosuperfuture

Back to the future is the best way to describe Retrosuperfuture. Founded in the early aughts, the brand made a name for itself by offering acetate sunglasses in a full range of electric colors, all of them cast on frames that nod to the past, but are intrinsically forward-thinking.

Akila

Akila wants you to gaze into the future. The L.A.-based label is celebrated for its use of malleable, scratch-resistant, and biodegradable materials made out of plant-based cellulose acetate, which are then fashioned into bold, statement-making silhouettes, particularly the cat-eye.

Salvatore Ferragamo

Ferragamo is a Milanese marque label, releasing styles year after year that, like its parent city, are rich, slightly industrial, and incredibly hot.

Prada

From nylon bags and to Saffiano leather suitcases to some of the best runway shows in history, Prada always brings the directionality, the elegance, and the timelessness that are the foundations of luxury fashion. The same could be said of its eyewear.

Kuboraum

Kuboraum revels in experimentation; it breathes the air of the avant-garde. Founders Livio Graziottin and Sergio Eusebi, two Berliners, also wanted their designs to act as masks, helping wearers create an identity that perhaps revealed more than it covered up. Because of this, no detail is too small and no finishing touch is less important than the other.

Moscot

Moscot's been in the sunglasses game for a minute now (and by a minute I mean over a century), and the fifth generation of Moscot family members currently work at the company. Any label that inspires that level of loyalty is worth checking out.

Grey Ant

Founded by Greg Krajecki, Grey Ant's designs are a study of dualities: chunky and lightweight, minimal and maximal, innovation and nostalgia.

Off-White

You can always count on the Virgil Abloh-founded Off-White to bring hard-edged industrial design—check out those sharp angles, not to mention the chain-link temple pieces—to the fore.

Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent, a brand that's pretty much the master and commander of skinny fits under the helm of creative director Anthony Vaccarello, of course offers sunglasses that stays to true to its cool aesthetic.

Gucci

Big, bold, and (sometimes more than) a little quirky? You can always count on Gucci to deliver the goods.

Jacques Marie Mage

If you want to get just a little wild with your eyewear while remaining in "actually wearable" territory, Jacques Marie Mage is the name to know. The brand makes its sunglasses in Japan in small batches, laboring over every detail to ensure your pair is an investment that lasts.

Coco and Breezy

Founded in 2009 by twin sisters Corianna and Brianna Dotson, Coco and Breezy has produced sunglasses in collaboration with Hershey's and Ciroc, and even made some for the late, great Prince. If there's a stronger cosign, I'm not sure what it is.

Linda Farrow

Before Linda Farrow launched her eponymous brand in the '70s, sunglasses stuck to a classic mold. She, being a rule-breaker, sought to push the boundaries, becoming one of the first designers to truly dive deep into the realm of the avant-garde. Farrow soon caught the attention of kindred spirits like Yoko Ono, Balenciaga, and Sonia Rykiel—the latter two collaborating with the sunglass maven on forward-thinking pieces that still inspire today.

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