It’s rare these days to encounter a wholly new idea in product design, one that encourages you to rethink how you use a piece of gear. They pop up occasionally, and just as often disappear due to a variety of factors.
I’ve seen a few instances of this in flyfishing over the past decade or so: rods with handle designs claimed to improve casting; flies with enlarged eyes; flies without hooks meant to be attached above a separate hook to the leader. In some cases, the idea seems sound enough. I’d guess they fail either because the traditional way of doing things is too entrenched to overcome buyer’s proclivities or desires, or because at the end of the day the product itself simply doesn’t deliver. Honestly, I don’t have an MBA, and I’m just not enough of a gear head to really care.
Ombraz armless sunglasses popped up on my radar a while back, in a few cases around the heads and necks of people I know and respect. I think my original reaction was to place them in that category of possibly innovating, but probably not something that is going to break through. Whether or not they’ve broken through may be an open question (again, no MBA here) though they seem to be doing well enough. Traditional sunglass makers aren’t doing anything wrong, as far as I’m concerned, and there are quite a few things they’re doing great.
Like peanut butter and jelly. Photo: Jason Rolfe
But, having gotten my hands on a couple pairs of Ombraz (from, full disclosure, a PR whiz with whom it turns out I share a number of close friends) I have to say: I think they’ve kind of nailed the innovation part.
I have lost several pairs of sunglasses over the years. This is partly my fault; if I were better about putting cords/retainers on every pair of sunglasses, I wouldn’t lose them so often. The problem is, I don’t really like wearing the cords most of the time. They either irritate my ears, get knocked around by coat or sweatshirt hoods, or simply don’t stay in place. It drives me nuts.
The Ombraz design, from my vantage point, has solved the problem. They’ve gotten rid of the arms and integrated the cord into the sunglasses. The cord itself doesn’t dangle willy-nilly at the back of your head, but instead sits snuggly against it—but not too tight, as Ombraz likes to remind you again and again. The frames themselves are light, and the cords sit nearly imperceptibly on your ears.
I was an instant fan, and they’ve only grown on me. For fishing, of course, the benefits are obvious—no more sunglasses dropped in the river or slipping off your hat during a hairy bushwhack. I can’t speak to their sight-fishing capabilities on the flats, but as far as a piece of eyewear meant to protect your eyeballs from the sun and make it easier to stare at glarey water all day, they do the trick.
Another use case for me has been in photography. Where before I had to find a pocket or collar to stash my sunglasses when preparing to peer through a viewfinder, I can now just slip the Ombraz from my ears to dangle safely while doing my best Ansel Adams impression.
In any case, they got me. Though they’re built for a variety of outdoor pursuits—from aviation to snow sports—their fishing lineup is growing and, if they keep talking to the right people, bound to get even better. Good on ‘em.
Check out Ombraz's fishing lineup—including they're new Azzurro frames with Blue Mirror lenses—here.