Native Sunglasses A Popular Choice
Native sunglasses are the first all sports polarized sunglasses, made especially for extreme sports like windsurfing, playing beach volleyball, surfing, and kayaking. Native sunglasses are also effective for working and just hanging out outdoors.
Basically anyone who is doing physically exerting activities in the outdoors will benefit from wearing Native sunglasses.
Native - The Company
Native Eyewear, Inc. makes exclusively sports-related sunglasses. Instead of paying top dollars for superstar celebrity endorsements, Native Eyewear seeds its marketing budget into local events. Native is a proud sponsor of Nevado Mountain Adventures in Burke, Vermont; East End Volleyball at Club V Beach in Clearwater Beach, Florida; EWSRA/NEWSRA On Snow Demo in Stratton, Vermont; and WWSRA Intermountain On Snow Demo in Keystone, Colorado.
Native is a privately held company located in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. In 2006, the company was sued for trademark infringement by Legacy Paddlesports, LLC.
The company is relatively new to have made such an impression in the sports sunglasses industry. In an interview with Julian Walker of the Northeast Times, marketing manager Eric Grunfeld said, "Our products are in enough of the key players, so our competitors know us." He went on to say, "We have excellent exposure to the consumer."
The company launched its first line of Native sunglasses at a trade show in 1998, with six styles in an amazing 44 color combinations. The company now makes nine different styles in 60 color combinations; featuring lightweight sunglasses that stand up to rugged wear.
Native is well known for its cutting edge advertising and promotions. When the company developed a line of glasses in a hue known as Rash Red, it hired attractive female models to wear tight T-shirts that said on the front, "I've Got a Rash" and on the back, "Ask me how I can give you one." Ideas like this get the company noticed.
Although Native Sunglasses does support local water sports events, it also does have a few celebrity endorsement deals. Notable Native Sunglasses endorsers include baseball great Sammy Sosa (a deal which has by now expired) and some NASCAR race drivers, mountain bikers, snow skiers, water skiers, and snow boarders.
Native - The Owner
Owner Jason Wildman's father was an optometrist, leading to his son's early interest in the vision and eye care business. After a career in sports licensing putting major league logos on cheap shades, Wildman got out of the business to create a high quality athletic sunglasses design business. Native Sunglasses has been successful ever since.
