Excited
For a long time, it was hard for me. [Cue violin music] All the sunglasses I’d buy in the stores were so big and round. Not a good fit for my chinky eyes. But now Oakley has answered my prayers! [Cue happy jazzy music]
My dilemma with sunglasses is finally over! Thanks to these Asian Fit sunglasses from Oakley! (heh heh heh)
But in all seriousness… This is an interesting way to address a very real niche. There are very real physical differences between major ethnicities. Heck, just look at any cosmetics store and you’ll find entire lines dedicated to different ethnicities. It was only a matter of time before someone did the same with other physical differences.
Oakley describes this fit as one that will feel comfortable if “sunglasses tend to sit too low on your face or slide down your nose, touch at your temples or cheeks, or feel narrow at the sides of your head.” I’m guessing they got such information from market research and listening to their customers complain about fit issues.
And they’re not the only ones. Smith Phenom also has a pair of Asian Fit Goggles designed “for those flatter faces without a pronouced (sic) nose bridge.”
Even the military has similar products, such as Eye Safety System’s Asian-Fit Goggle Series, which was “made with molded face foam and a flatter lens curve and frame design.” They are now standard issue for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
I’ll admit, when I first heard about these “Asian Fit” sunglasses, I raised an eyebrow. But upon deeper reflection, it sounds like a really cool idea. The reaction from the blogosphere seems to be the same as mine too. Josh @ hyku had a similar initial reaction: “At first glance the term ‘Asian Fit’ seemed a bit direct for me?” Larry @ The Nut Bar concluded: “So I guess Oakley has found a way to address an overlook niche. You can’t really argue against it since it helps out a large group of people and I’m sure it isn’t hurting their bottom line.” And Alex @ Lost in Colonisation actually purchased a pair: “I have to say it fits very well, much better than I expected.”
Have you ever tried Oakley’s Asian Fit sunglasses? How do they fit?
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jlowie
I just wrote a blog post about discovering "Asian fit Sunglasses" from Oakley this past summer. What was the biggest revelation for me is when I put the glasses on - I suddenly realized what I had been missing all this time. The link is here if you are interested in reading more: http://blog.leeandlow.com/2011/09/06/i-wear-my-sun...
jack688
I can't find any of these in Australia. Oakley's Australia site has a page on Asian Fit sunglasses, but the page is empty i.e. it has no products on it! Very unprofessional. Can you believe it ....
I am a mostly-happy owner of a pair of Oakley Asian Fit Radar Path sport glasses; Speckled Black Frame with Polarized Grey Lenses.
My observation is that it is a Regular/Caucasian Fit frame with over-sized nose pads; meaning the frame curvature isn't as "shallow" as advertised on their site. In fact, the lenses fit perfectly inside my M-Frame's Array case; and we know for whom the old M-Frames were made.
I say "mostly-happy" because of the ear-socks pressure on my temples (from the aforementioned narrow frame curvature) and the color of the frames (got it slightly-used on eBay, suspect it might be from their Women's line but cannot confirm).
That said I'm satisfied to **finally** have specs which do not flail about nor slip-off my nose when I'm in some active sport. I've used it from jogging to soccer practice, in fair weather and in rainstorms. Hydrophobic Coating works as advertised and it didn't suffer damage after taking a soccer ball to the face (playing defense, tried to head the ball away I swear).
I've also been fortunate to User-Test Revision Eyewear's "Asian Locust" Tactical Goggles. Like its competitor ESS, this was made for the Asian/foreign market and is not [yet] available in the US Military Supply System nor at your local Base/Post Exchange. It is also does not [yet] come in the US-Mil-Preferred Foliage Green and Desert Tan colors, but rather in the "familiar" Black and OD Green frames and head straps.
It provides very good coverage around my nose and cheeks, unlike Standard-Issue Goggles such as the USGI SDW (Sand, Dust, Wind), ESS' Profile & Striker, and Revision's Desert Locust. Around the lowest part of my nose bridge the flange has been considerably lengthened to provide good coverage, though I detect some very, very-slight gaps around it still. Curvature-wise there are none of the "pressure-issues" around the temples compared to previous offerings. All in all it should provide more than adequate protection in a high-wind environment. Nevertheless I am still concerned about fine-dust/sand intrusion so near my eyes if used in a desert environment, one in which I've not had the chance to test it.
Oakleys are not the only ones with Asian Fits, Nike has a whole series of eyewear with asian fit, Sunglasses and optical frames
this sunglasses really fits your face, its perfect for you and you really look good on it.
Bought a pair, still dont fit. sides still pinch behind the temple and go straight past my ears instead of curving to fit my head.
OMG. There is a God. I can loosen my death grip on my current sunglasses for fear that I'll never find another one that fit me (this one took me 4 years to find). My emailed all my family about this news to let them know that they no longer have to listen to me whine about sunglasses. They still have to listen to me whine about lack of hats that fit my big head though.
@Brian - HAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!! ROFL
I put on a pair of these once and voila'! I was suddenly lactose tolerant! THANK YOU OAKLEY INC!
it would've been nice to have known this kind of fit existed before I invested hundreds of dollars for my current frames. That being said - as a person who loves to shop for clothes and other fashion items - I hate shopping in department stores because rarely anything fits my "Asian frame". It was only until I bought a t-shirt from Japan and put it on that I realized what I was missing and what a difference the right fit made. So, I've literally resorted to being my own tailor and shopping online.
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[...] Were you looking for a place to buy The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook by Pat Tanumihardja, that we posted about here? Or maybe you finally decided to buy those Asian Fit sunglasses from Oakley, from that blog post you read two years ago? [...]