For someone older than me — I'm at 40 years old — the brand Revo evokes some kind of cool image.
Revo became popular in the 1980s and 90s because the sunglasses it provided perfectly combined modern style and performance characteristics, making it a must-have for active people. From professional athletes to movie stars to other celebrities of that era, Revo is a trusted brand.
However, the story behind the Revo lens is biased towards science. Dr. Mitch Ruda, an optical engineer, was working on a project for NASA when he realized that our eyes can get value from lenses with the same coating, which can protect satellites from radiation. This is a simple and innovative concept that creates the iconic blue lens, which is the iconic business card of the brand.
Like many brands, Revo's story began to resonate less. The brand is owned by Ray-Ban and Luxottica and can be said to be error handling. By 2019, Revo's name has been tarnished. This created an opportunity for Cliff Robinson, now 51. As early as 2019, he decided to buy the brand. His family brand, B. Robinson, has been in the eyewear industry for 90 years, but Robinson feels a personal connection with the Revo brand.
Robinson knew that he had to modernize the brand and its products to catch up with the Revo diehards and their current lives. This means providing products for outdoor people who like skiing, water sports, tennis and golf. This also means to remind people who love and still love Revo that the core DNA of this product is still top-notch performance.
Under Robinson’s guidance, the new Revo redesigned the frame from the ground up, and manufactured new lenses for sports and activities. For golf, Robinson’s goal is to create lenses that allow the ball to pop and play the best in the greens, browns and reds that are part of the game experience. The Revo Drive lens-one of the nine lenses that the company now offers-brings fine details into focus through sharp contrast, dimming the sun's rays on the ground and other areas of the stadium. As Robinson said, they are like "stereo equalizers" for your eyes on the court.
However, Robinson quickly noticed that several other lenses of the company are very useful for golfers, depending on how sensitive their eyes are to certain conditions. Personally, 15 years ago, my left eye was infected with Acanthamoeba, so I must wear sunglasses in most outdoor environments. Robinson suggested that, then, the Evergreen lens might suit me. It aims to eliminate surface glare and make greens truly popular. He even sent me a pair that is separate from the Drive lens, and I have had to see if it is more effective for me. This is because he is as passionate about brand and performance glasses as the audience he hopes to meet-those who are active and have a little extra money to buy glasses for specific use cases.
It turns out that Robinson was right. Evergreen lenses are perfect for me. In fact, they are the clothes I wear most of the time-whether it's golfing, walking the dog, or coaching sports. They eliminate all glare from the sun, allowing me to focus on what I see without being distracted. Some lenses can eliminate glare, but at the same time they also reduce the incredible field of view that golfers can obtain. Not these. With a variety of frames, I found Crux X, which is a modern tortoiseshell panoramic frame, sturdy, non-fogging, and non-shaking, allowing me to enjoy golf without thinking.
Drive lens is also a good choice, it really makes the color of the golf course become popular. This is especially helpful for trying to read the greens and feel that you have a clear view of the golf course. For most people, Drive will be the best choice.
Golfers begin to establish contact or re-establish contact with Revo. Robinson said that golf-related sales have increased by 50% year-on-year, and they hope to have 500 specialty stores nationwide. They want to be where the audience is, but since the pandemic began, online sales have increased by 40%, and all channels have performed well. The brand has also begun offering prescription sunglasses, providing another way to reach the coveted and enthusiastic audience in Robinson's eyes.
In the end, Robinson said that he hoped that the Revo brand would not be called a nostalgic brand. He hopes that Revo will be known for producing first-class lenses and frames for active people. Although he may have taken over the brand because he loves the brand, he hopes that his Revo iteration can keep up with our current lifestyle, which is coveted.
Ryan Ballengee is the founder and editor of Golf News Net. For more than ten years, he has been writing and broadcasting articles about golf, working for NBC Sports, Golf Channel, Yahoo Sports and SB Nation. Ballengee lives in Washington, DC with his family. He used to be an excellent golfer.
Ballengee can be contacted by e-mail to ryan[at]thegolfnewsnet.com
Ryan occasionally links to merchants of his choice, and GNN may earn commissions from the sales generated by these links. See more information in GNN's Affiliate Disclosure.
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