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What we know so far about the mysterious new Oakley sunglasses

The still unreleased shades sported by Sam Bennett and Chris Froome

Photo by: Sirotti.it
October 27, 2020
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An new pair of Oakleys has been spotted on Team Ineos Grenadiers’ Chris Froome and Deceuninck–Quick-Step’s Sam Bennett. The unique looking glasses, still unreleased by Oakley, have drummed up quite the stir on the internet.

Sam Bennett wore them to victory on Stage 4 of the Vuelta a España on Friday. On Sunday, Froome conveniently posted an up-close look at the glasses on Twitter for those who were squinting at their screens trying to figure out what was going on with the nose bridge of his shades.

So what do we know about these mysterious new frames?

The name

According to Oakley Forum, the glasses will be called the Oakley Kato. They debuted during the 2020 SuperBowl on the face of  Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs, but the company still hasn’t released any official information on them.

(Some of ) the design

The design of the Kato sunglasses is different in a number of ways. The arms are thinner than many other models and they attach directly to the lens. They don’t have the option to attach anywhere else, as the sunglasses are all lens, no frame. The body of the glasses, simply one large lens,  extends down and wraps around the nose.

Oakley has not yet stated whether the interesting nose-covering design is for aerodynamics, airflow or to give the wearer a panoramic shaded view free of any frame material. At this point, we can only speculate it’s some combination of the three.

Some compared the design to the glasses X-Men’s Cyclops wears, or those of the Invincible’s Frozone.

A vague release date

Oakley says the model is scheduled for release in early 2021, but won’t share any information beyond that. For now, fans and haters of the frames will have to wait patiently and keep their eyes open for a glimpse the Okaley Katos in the peloton.