Oakley Glasses Stun In Tom Cruise’s Latest Mission: Impossible
Updated: Aug 6, 2023
In high-octane, stunt-filled movies like the Mission: Impossible franchise, optimal protection for the cast is a must.
As such, the crew behind the latest installment in the franchise— Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 — enlisted the help of performance eyewear brand Oakley to provide custom glasses for the film.
Credit: @missionimpossible on Instagram
This partnership is not the first for the series, as Oakley’s Romeo sunglasses also appeared in Mission: Impossible 2.
However, this recent collaboration amped up the game as Tom Cruise, who plays IMF agent Ethan Hunt, wore a pair of ECLP23, clear wraparound goggles with a lightweight feel and look owing to its minimal design and thin frames, in the film’s biggest stunt.
Shades for stunts
The Mission: Impossible series is known for its thrilling stunts that border on over-the-top, which is one of the reasons why it has remained a successful franchise over the years.
Tom Cruise has never faltered in bringing the action and does most of the practical stuntwork himself.
Scaling the Burj Khalifa, hanging off the side of a plane, and performing a motorcycle jump off a mountain is a difficult feat, even for Cruise, who had to undergo rigorous and risky training to pull them off.
Apart from needing protection for dangerous stunts, having a cool yet practical look is crucial for a super spy movie to keep the tone and mood intact.
The gear is critical for tying everything together, ensuring the actor is safe but not goofy-looking in a way that looks out of place for the film. That need for super agent suave and maximum safety is why the ECLP23 goggles needed careful customization from all fronts.
Prop master Barry Gibbs and Oakley’s VP of design, Nick Garfias, teamed up with Cruise to ensure the goggles were a perfect fit for the actor and the scene.
Multiple Zoom calls, full head scans, and numerous 3D printed mock-ups were needed to perfect the goggles, ensuring they never compromised optics, fit, fogging, and retention.
The resulting custom glasses are comfortable to wear and not too obstructive, giving the proper visibility and protection suited for a nail-biting motorcycle mountain jump and skydive.
Why Oakley?
It’s not a surprise why the Oakley brand was the prime choice for the seventh Mission: Impossible, as it strikes an outstanding balance between function and fashion regarding eyewear.
The brand initially focused on creating eyewear for sports like cycling and running but soon delved into creating lifestyle frames that kept the quality of their sports shades combined with a wearable look for daily life.
Today, Oakley has collections of both lifestyle and performance sunglasses that feature the latest technologies.
Their iconic Frogskins and Sutro styles are still popular in the market, and the ability to customize frames and lenses to suit your needs makes Oakley one of the top brands for performance and everyday eyewear.
While the ECLP23 glasses weren’t made for purchase, people looking to sport cool, comfortable, practical sunglasses can browse Oakley’s vast selection of shades.
Whether you’re an athlete looking for a pair that keeps you at peak performance, someone looking for a timeless and classic for everyday use, or if you want the best of both worlds, you can find something you’ll love from the brand.
Since sunglasses are an essential summer trend for Miami and beyond, as seen in the latest Guess summer collection, it’s the perfect time to find the right sunglasses for protection, performance, and style.