When you think of Tom Cruise’s extensive filmography, certain images from his more recognizable titles may come to mind. Many of these, no doubt, will feature Tom Cruise’s character sporting sunglasses. Out of all of Tom Cruise’s many popular movies, his 1986 film Top Gun was widely associated with the image of his US Navy pilot character wearing Ray-Ban’s now-iconic Aviator sunglasses. Cruise’s leading role as Maverick significantly influenced pop culture and fashion, boosting the sales of bomber jackets and Ray-Ban sunglasses by 40% at the time.
While the iconic Aviators he wore in Top Gun are often considered the only sunglasses the Hollywood star popularized, Tom Cruise — and his lucrative film career — has surprisingly impacted the eyewear industry. Below, we’ll look at some of the eyewear brands Tom Cruise has put a spotlight on and the films associated with them:
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Ray-Ban
Of course, the best place to start would be Ray-Ban. Among Ray-Ban’s line of men’s sunglasses, the Aviator Classic was launched to pop-culture fame after the 1986 release of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun. Considering its origins as sunglasses designed for US aviators in 1937, Ray-Ban was a fitting costume choice for an action film about a naval aviator. Over three decades later, the critically-acclaimed sequel to Top Gun, titled Top Gun: Maverick, re-popularized the sunglass model. Today, the Aviator remains one of the most recognizable and popular sunglasses in the world; Ray-Ban even allows these premium sunglasses to be customized with any frame, lens, and temple combination for wearers.
Aside from the Aviator Classic, Tom Cruise also had a hand in popularizing another Ray-Ban sunglass model. Three years before the release of Top Gun, Cruise starred in the 1983 sex comedy-drama film Risky Business. The film’s poster, and an iconic dance scene in which Cruise dances around in his underwear, featured his character wearing a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer. While this model features a different lens shape from the Aviator, the Wayfarer’s thick black plastic frames have similarly become one of Ray-Ban’s more iconic models, as Cruise’s Risky Business character remains a popular Halloween costume.
Persol
Another blockbuster film franchise calls for another eyewear brand. In the fourth installment of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible franchise, titled Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tom Cruise’s character, super-spy Ethan Hunt, was seen wearing a pair of sunglasses from Persol. The Persol PO2978S sunglasses have a tortoise frame with gold accents and can be spotted throughout the film’s many sequences.
His co-star Jeremy Renner can also be seen wearing a pair of Persol sunglasses in the film. While Persol is a more niche brand among sunglass and eyewear enthusiasts, its feature in the fourth Mission Impossible film further highlights Tom Cruise’s fascination with stylish sunglasses in his movies. Today, Persol is known as a high-quality sunglasses manufacturer and brand specializing in stylized frames. While Ray-Ban is known as an American icon, Persol emphasizes Italian luxury.
Oakley
Finally, another sunglass brand Tom Cruise has featured in his films is Oakley. Known for high-quality, durable, and sports-oriented frames, Oakley worked with Cruise on past Mission Impossible films. This included Oakley’s slick Romeo shades, which Cruise wore in the second Mission Impossible. For the latest installment in the franchise released in 2023, Oakley’s safety goggles were designed for Ethan Hunt’s motorcycle stunt — during which Cruise performed a combination of motorcycle riding and skydiving.
Compared to previous on-screen sunglasses worn and popularized by the action star, the Oakley glasses are low-key, clear, and minimally designed. Designers who worked on the goggles stated they had prioritized safety and performance in the design process, ensuring they could create a goggle that would not disrupt Tom Cruise’s iconic image. As a result, this pair boasts a thin, seamless frame that is physically and visually lightweight.
Tom Cruise’s career trajectory is closely linked to fashionable, innovative eyewear trends, and it’s well worth looking forward to what pair we’ll see him in next.
