Carrera Safari Sunglasses of the month

If you're a follower of Milan and New York runways, high fashion, big designer labels and seasonal trends then chances are you won't have heard of lesser exposed sportswear brands like Carrera, but I'm sure you'd recognise the Carrera sunglasses T.I. wore whilst performing on stage at the MTV Awards last year, the same sunglasses which recently appeared on the face of No Doubt's Gwen Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale, wouldn't you? Of course you would, and they're also predilection of trend-setting Gossip Girl Taylor Momsen, Kanye West, Tyson Beckford, Lindsay Lohan and Kylie Minogue.

The Carrera name is derived from an automobile race that used to stretch all the way across Mexico during the 1950s, the Carrera Panamericana and was founded in 1956 by Willhelm Anger. Initially he brand was entirely devoted to producing cycle goggles and ski masks. In 1964 the sports brand successfully patented Optyl, a heat hardened plastic that weighs 20% less than acetate, eyewear made from this resin ensured the wearer ultimate comfort in any given situation thanks to its amazing memory foam effect. Astonishingly, Carrera International didn't release a collection of eyewear until 1977 which achieved substantial success.

Pushing things further, 1979 saw the release of Carrera's Porsche design which was developed with automobile designer Ferdinand Alexander. In a short space of time the collection acquired immeasurable success, catapulting the Carrera name to fame. In the 1980s, the brand turned its attention to the sports industry and went on to becom the official sponsor of America's Cup, then in 1988 the brand triumphed at the Calgary Olympics as its sponsored team athlete's took home 16 gold, 13 silver and 16 bronze medals.

Carrera's big break came in 1966 when they teamed up with a world leader in high quality eyewear enabling a proficient fusion of technology and design. On the whole, Carrera's modern day shades are targeted at male and female style adrenalin junkies seeking high performance, sport inspired or everyday use sunglasses. So if high quality, celebrity style and accessible entry price points sounds appealing then Carrera is a great brand for you to discover. The seemingly endless amount of choices from the sports eyewear innovator makes deciding where to begin your Carrera sunglasses collection difficult so here's a well advised tip.

The brands Safari model in black (above) is our fastest selling and most popular Carrera model to date. Taken from the lines everyday collection, it's not hard to see why the Safari is being sold in high end department stores in fashion capitals across the world. The Safari is a unisex frame that looks equally good on both sexes but of course some colours are more feminine then others, pink for example. As a brand Carrera aims to tell a story of great adventure, thus projecting the wearer as adventurous, spontaneous and enthusiastic. While originally intended for sports the Safari has transcended into the world of fashion with its retro modern edge and rain-bowed variety, powering the Carrera Safari is racing to the front line. Ultimately, the Safari is a vintage inspired sunglass that draws inspiration from the less conventional science geek to create a contrasting vision of understated cool meets ingrained 80s sport retro, a cool equilibrium. A versatile light weight aviator that takes you back to the golden age of fashion, tough enough to withstand the stresses from every day sports and stylish enough for the red carpet. The Safari's quirky tear drop lenses create the outline for the solid acetate face that's striped with a select colour that follows through to the metal flat slime line arms.

The recent New York Carrera launch party, which was a huge success, pushed the Safari's profile even further as Agyness Deyn, Richie Rich, Tyson Beckford, Daisy Lowe and Patricia Field were all in attendance and rocking Carrera shades.

Discover Carrera and embark on your very own eyewear Safari.

Carrera Safari

Carrera Collection

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Oakley Straight Jacket · Oakley Tangent · Oakley Whisker · Polarised Oakley Sunglasses · Oakley Proven

Oakley Encounter is ultra feminine with oval shaped contours made from comfortable O Matter. O emblems feature on the arms. The gorgeous frame curvature glides smoothly around the face and finished behind the ears for a snug fit that is further improved by Hydrophilic Unobtainium covers, which prevent slippage, even during perspiration.