Despite humble beginnings, Maui Jim sunglasses have developed a reputation for quality, durability and comfort which mean that Maui Jim is now the fastest growing polarized sunglass maker in the world.
At the beginning of the 1980s, a small company set up in business in Hawaii and started selling sunglasses on the beautiful beaches of Maui. It was not long however before they realized that their sunglasses really were not up to the job of protecting wearers from the strong ultraviolet rays of the sun in Maui and that they would need to develop their own range of sunglasses.
The company developed its own PolarizedPlus technology, which it later patented, and with a range of seven different styles of sunglasses Maui Jim was born. Incidentally, just in case you're wondering, Maui Jim is the name of the company's mascot which is a brilliantly colored Macaw!
For several years the company remained small and continued to supply its range of sunglasses only to the residents of Maui and to tourists. However, in 1991 Hester Enterprises purchased the company and, seeing the potential for the product, enlisted the help of RLI Vision in Illinois in 1994 to provide distribution into the mainland ophthalmic market. Two years later Maui Jim was incorporated and, at the same time, acquired RLI vision.
The capital and infrastructure provided by incorporation and the acquisition of RLI vision provided Maui Jim with the stepping stone that it needed and sales soon began to grow very rapidly.
Today Maui Jim offers more than fifty different styles of sunglasses and, thanks largely to their patented seven layer polarized lens system, they are very much in the forefront of polarized sunglass manufacturers and indeed are the world's fastest growing polarized sunglass manufacturer.
Maui Jim sunglass frames were originally crafted from monel, nylon and acetate and could perhaps best be described as stylish and practical rather than as fashionable. This is not meant as a criticism of the company who after all had developed this range of products very much as a practical tool for the sports market rather than as a fashion item.
This is however changing and, as the Maui Jim range expands, frames are now appearing in Flexon memory metal frames as well as in nickel silver alloys and titanium. Many of their frames now also include spring hinges which provide added security and comfort.
A recent model, the Sandbar, has been designed much more with fashion in mind and provides a single lens in a wraparound style. It also uses a proprietary hard coating for scratch resistance as well as a waterproof coating for further protection and ease of cleaning.
Maui Jim's own patented manufacturing system, which also incorporates the use of rare earth elements in the construction of lenses, allows the company to produce sunglasses with amazingly clear and sharp vision, which are also glare-free, and which makes this particular brand of sunglasses especially suitable for sportsman and, not surprisingly given the origin of the company, makes them hugely popular with fishermen.
Unlike many brands of sunglasses whose popularity has grown largely through their use by film and television personalities, Maui Jim's popularity is seen much more amongst sportsmen and they are a favorite with soccer superstar Wayne Rooney and New York Yankees star Derek Jeter.