The eyewear market has become it’s own massive monocled beast in the menswear arena and we are happy to see men wearing more than just mall brands. With all the options out there, the market can be dizzying and while we will post about many other brands on the site, Randolph Engineering is one we find particularly interesting.
Founded in 1972 by Polish immigrants, Jan Waszkiewicz and Stanley Zaleski they set up shop in Randolph, Massachusetts and eventually became one of the leading optical tool and die companies in the States. They then started manufacturing Mil-Spec Aviator sunglasses for the U.S. Air Force and with the popularity of the glasses (and movies like Top Gun) they began marketing to civilians. Randolph currently supplies the HGU-4/P to the US Army and Navy and allied Air Forces world-wide and maintains the Frame of Choice contract, now in its third five year term. Yes, they are no joke.
Today they are dabbling a bit more in the fashion arena. For three seasons Randolph has been collaborating with Michael Bastian and as Mary Waszkiewicz, Marketing Manager at the company told us, “We’re working on designing new styles for the Randolph line to be introduced in 2014. We also just launched Phase 1 of a rebranding, including a new logo and upgraded packaging. While we’ll always have a performance driven product line, we’re continually improving our image to better reflect the sophistication of what we do.” Randolph also designed the shades that Don Draper has been sporting recently on Mad Men and causing quite a buzz about the brand.
Whether you are looking for a little bad ass in your life or simply a fashion focused frame, this all American brand has you covered.
