Maui Jim

Maui Jim started in 1980 on Ka'anapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii, where a local fisherman sold sunglasses to tourists dazzled — and blinded — by the water's glare. He couldn't find a lens that cut the glare without dulling the color of the island around him, so the brand built one: PolarizedPlus2®, a proprietary lens technology that blocks UVA/UVB rays and glare while making colors look more vivid, not less. That original seven-style collection has grown into more than 125 sunglass and eyeglass styles, but the lenses are still designed and tested out of Hawaii today.

The brand's philosophy stays close to its roots on the beach: that color and light are core to how people experience the world, and that eyewear should help you see more of it, not less. Now part of Kering Eyewear and headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, Maui Jim has grown into one of the largest polarized sunglass makers globally, with partnerships that include Red Bull Racing — but the mission is still described in one word: aloha.