9five
Skateboarding's helped influence lots of other lasting trends, from shaggy hair, to pop-punk music, to getting beat down by a skateboard, which never, ever happened to you. Twice a week. Repress those memories once again, and pick up skate-inspired sunglasses from 9five Eyewear.
Spurred by the heyday of 'boarding and designed with that notoriously sophisticated "skateboarding obsessed, crate digging niche" in mind, San Diego-based 9's new web shop's hawking a handful of fresh shades from their new collection along with a stock of classics now updated with fresh colors, enacting good with the very process that ruined Miracle on 34th Street forever. The latest drop includes the early-hip-hop-inspired square-topped Block, made from premium grade acetate in either brown tortoise shell or matte black with lenses that fade from dark up top to clear, plus the oversized, boxy DM-83, which fade from black at the top to crystal at the bottom, and're styled after the ones the "late" (according to 9five) Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC made famous in the early 80s, when they caused countless onlookers to Gawk This Way. As for earlier models in new color combos, there're the thin-framed Butters, the sturdy acetate, aviator-ish Major, and the Wayfarer-esque Cult Classic, now updated with a thicker frame, which's also how you introduce yourself at reunions.
If you're not afraid to let people see your eyes, you can opt for clear lenses on any of 9's frames, though you'll want to consider the consequences, as you've still got a grip-tape impression on your forehead from the last time you rocked the four-eyes look.
