James Jannard (born June 8, 1949)[1] is an American designer, businessman and founder of Oakley, Inc., an eyewear and apparel company; and Red Digital Cinema Camera Company.
Early life and career
Jannard was born in Los Angeles, the son of a pharmacist.[2] He was raised in Alhambra, California and was graduated from Alhambra High School.[1] He attended the USC School of Pharmacy, but dropped out to travel the southwestern U.S. on a motorcycle.[3][2]
In 1975, Jannard started a one-man business selling motorcycle parts out of his car at motocross events. He named his company after his dog, Oakley.[3] He began developing his own products, including custom handlebar grips that conformed to the shape of one's hand,[2] motorcycle goggles, ski goggles and sunglasses.[3] Oakley sunglasses were used by bicycle racer Greg LeMond, raising the company's profile.[3] In the 1980s, Jannard restricted the sale of Oakley sunglasses to the Sunglass Hut, although small specialty shops could continue to sell Oakley sunglasses.[2] In 1991, his company had 200 employees.[3] In 1995, the company went public.[2] Jannard sold Oakley in November 2007 for $2.1 billion to Italian company Luxottica, the world's largest eyewear manufacturer and retailer.[4]
In 2005, Jannard started Red Digital Cinema Camera Company, maker of some of the most popular digital cinema cameras in the industry.[5] In 2009, he was named one of the 100 Most Creative People by Fast Company Magazine.[6]
On Oct. 24, 2019, Jannard announced his retirement, citing his age and "a few health issues."[7]
Personal life
Jannard owns the Fiji islands of Kaibu and Vatu Vara.[8] He also owns the 500-acre Spieden Island in the San Juan Islands archipelago.[3] In 1999, Jannard purchased two properties in Newport Beach, California for about $15 million.[9]
References
- ^ a b City of Alhambra: "Famous Residents & Graduates from Alhambra" Archived 2010-12-13 at the Wayback Machine retrieved September 9, 2013
- ^ a b c d e Ed Leibowitz (March 16, 1997). "A trip to Planet Oakley". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c d e f Andrew Tilin (July 2012). "Supreme O - It all started with a pair of sunglasses. 441 patents later, Oakley hopes its sports gear will make extreme history". Wired.
- ^ Bellantonio, Jennifer. "Why Jannard Opted to Sell: Price, Changes, Side Project". AllBusiness.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
- ^ Mendelovich, Yossy (2019-05-23). "The Cameras Behind Cannes 2019: From Cheap Camcorders to High-end ALEXA". Y.M.Cinema - News & Insights on Digital Cinema. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- ^ [1] Archived December 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Everything changes". h4vuser.net. 24 October 2019.
- ^ Lealea, Sai (2010-10-23). "Sun Glass Billionaire Buys Kaibu and Vatuvara Islands in Northern Fiji". YacataFiji.Org. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
- ^ "Oakley CEO Buys Home (and View) for $7 Million". Los Angeles Times. 1999-10-12. Retrieved 2013-09-15.