Every story has a beginning. For Oakley®, it began in 1975. Since then, the brand has created a vision of the future while delivering it in the present, shaping a rich history of culturally-defining products. Now, Oakley is reclaiming its disruptive spirit, drawing from the principles of yesterday to write the next chapter with a better tomorrow in mind. Welcome to Future Genesis.
The brand will chart a new path that’s rooted in its DNA. This foundational change will trigger an updated brand aesthetic and creative point of view that will inform both its storytelling and iconic product innovations. This evolution is personified by Maxine Fearlight, the newest protagonist for Oakley.
“At Oakley, we don’t believe in predicting the future – we create our own”, shared Caio Amato, Oakley’s Chief Marketing. “Oakley has always been famous for creating its own vision of the future, from product to the architectural design of our stores. Future Genesis evolves this story, to ensure we all dream the same dream. We revisited our 90’s hero Max Fearlight narrative, and created a whole new chapter where Max will be forced to see the world through the eyes of his daughter Maxine, a young brave explorer. The result is a fascinating new brand context, true to the rebellious Oakley DNA, but with a protopian lens. Future Genesis is our ultimate platform to create new products, new technologies and brand executions that challenges what is out there. After all, sameness is more harmful than UV rays”.
The first glimpse of Future Genesis comes to life in the form of two short films that bring viewers back into the world first created in the original 1992 Oakley “Max Fearlight” film. To showcase the interconnectedness between past and future and put into action the brand’s protopian proposition, the films spotlight a father and a daughter. Fans of the original film will immediately recognize Max Fearlight and the bunker where he first began to explore the unknown. Max represents the past, a dystopian vision that used to envelop everything that Oakley put out into the world. Future Genesis takes Max on a journey of transformation by introducing the newest protagonist for the brand: Maxine Fearlight who’s set on creating her own legacy. Maxine represents the dream of a protopian future for the brand, one that seeps into the work of Oakley and its partners, resulting in products that can best be described as extraterrestrial physics elevated to an artform, and brand campaigns that seem to come from another galaxy.
“Future Genesis gives us the permission to stay rooted in our brand’s legacy, while pushing the boundaries of our ambition”, expresses Brian Takumi, VP of Creative & Soul at Oakley. “Maxine is the embodiment of that duality, honouring both yesterday and tomorrow. The spirit and optimism she leads with is the same that guides our approach to product design. The core DNA of Oakley isn’t about following trends that already exist, but instead, building a vision for what could be. Future Genesis will act as a platform for us to continue innovating with technology and design, moving the brand and industry forward. It will come to life through collaborations and brand campaigns – continuing to permeate all that we put out into the world right from our dreams to the shelf.”
Products featured within the short films also serve a greater purpose. Max is seen wearing Medusa, a legacy product reimagined as a digital concept to fit his pursuits in a virtual world.
The digital world also informs the real, with the 13:11 sunglasses inspired by those Maxine wears in the trailers, becoming a reality and launching in 2024.
These teasers are only the beginning, with more dropping in the coming years to mark the brand’s 50th Anniversary. Explore Future Genesis Immersive Platform on project2075.oakley.com from December 12th at 6PM CET.
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