Ray-Ban Wayfarer is a design of sunglasses manufactured by Ray-Ban since 1952. Wayfarers enjoyed early popularity in the 1950s & 1960s. Wayfarers were designed in 1952 by Raymond Stegeman, an inventor who procured dozens of patents for Bausch & Lomb, Ray-Ban's parent company. Design was a radically new shape, "a mid-century classic to rival Eames chairs and Cadillac tail fins." According to one commentator, the "distinctive trapezoidal frame spoke a non-verbal language that hinted at unstable dangerousness, but one nicely tempered by the sturdy arms which, according to the advertising, gave the frames a 'masculine look.'Wayfarers, which took advantage of new plastics technology,marked the transition between a period of eyewear with thin metal frames to a new era of plastic eyewear.
In 2001, the Wayfarer underwent a significant redesign, with the frames made smaller & less angular, changed 
from acetate to a lighter injected plastic. The changes were intended to update the frames' style during a period of unpopularity and to make them easier to wear (the frames' previous tilt made them impossible to perch on top of one's head, for instance).
from acetate to a lighter injected plastic. The changes were intended to update the frames' style during a period of unpopularity and to make them easier to wear (the frames' previous tilt made them impossible to perch on top of one's head, for instance). The original style of the Wayfarer sunglass was re-launched in 2007, and Wayfarers are available in Original Wayfarer, New Wayfarer, and Wayfarer Folding styles as of 2007.During the 2000s Wayfarer revival, well after the expiration of Stegeman's 1953 design patent, designers unaffiliated with Ray-Ban produced several sunglass designs inspired by the original Wayfarers. Grey Ant's Grant Krajecki designed a larger, cartoonish version of the glasses "so extreme, they]are best worn by those with a good sense of humor". Sabre Vision's "Poolside" design is a smaller, thinner version that resembles "a cross between old-school Oakleys and the pair worn by Tom Cruise in movie " Risky Business".
Wayfarer Sunglasses and Movies (actor/actress,film, TV, music artists and celebrities):
In 1982 Ray-Ban signed deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, to put Ray-Bans into movies and television shows. (Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year; Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through 2007. Tom Cruise's wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year.By 1986, after further appearances in Miami Vice and Moonlighting, sales had reached 1.5 million. Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, Patti Smith, and members of U2, and among other celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and even Anna Wintour. Bret Easton Ellis' The Informers name-dropped references to Wayfarers frequently. Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981 to more than 40 models in 1989, and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.
In the 1990s, the frames again became unpopular. The 1950s revival that fueled the glasses' popularity in the 1980s had lost steam, and Wayfarers were outcompeted by wraparound frames. Even the 2001 redesign of the sunglasses, intended to update the look, was poorly received: one eyewear boutique owner, commenting in The Independent in 2007, called the design "diluted" and "horrible."
Model Emina Cunmulaj wearing white Ray-Ban Wayfarers, September 2007 Wayfarers were brought back into fashion in the mid-2000s when celebrities including Chloe Sevigny and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen began wearing vintage frames. Ray-Ban designers soon noticed that vintage Wayfarers were commanding high prices on eBay, and the 2007 re-introduction of the original Wayfarer design aimed to respond to the demand.
In 1982 Ray-Ban signed deal with Unique Product Placement of Burbank, California, to put Ray-Bans into movies and television shows. (Between 1982 and 1987, Ray-Ban sunglasses appeared in over 60 movies and television shows per year; Ray-Ban's product placement efforts have continued through 2007. Tom Cruise's wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon; 360,000 pairs were sold that year.By 1986, after further appearances in Miami Vice and Moonlighting, sales had reached 1.5 million. Wayfarers rose to popularity among musicians, including Johnny Marr, Blondie's Debbie Harry, Elvis Costello, Morrissey, Patti Smith, and members of U2, and among other celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and even Anna Wintour. Bret Easton Ellis' The Informers name-dropped references to Wayfarers frequently. Ray-Ban's Wayfarer offerings expanded from two models in 1981 to more than 40 models in 1989, and Wayfarers were the decade's sunglasses of choice.
In the 1990s, the frames again became unpopular. The 1950s revival that fueled the glasses' popularity in the 1980s had lost steam, and Wayfarers were outcompeted by wraparound frames. Even the 2001 redesign of the sunglasses, intended to update the look, was poorly received: one eyewear boutique owner, commenting in The Independent in 2007, called the design "diluted" and "horrible."
Model Emina Cunmulaj wearing white Ray-Ban Wayfarers, September 2007 Wayfarers were brought back into fashion in the mid-2000s when celebrities including Chloe Sevigny and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen began wearing vintage frames. Ray-Ban designers soon noticed that vintage Wayfarers were commanding high prices on eBay, and the 2007 re-introduction of the original Wayfarer design aimed to respond to the demand.