Sabre

Sabre's "Psychotic Purple" shades

Sabre's "Psychotic Purple" shades

In 2004, in a small beach community in Sydney, Brooke McGregor and friends hung out regularly, surfing and skateboarding and just having fun. Keeping it all to themselves didn’t seem right, so one day they started a blog. The blog was a testimonial to what the group saw as some of the more important things in life: surfing, subculture, community, anarchy and partying.

Word about the blog spread and, before long, it began to see large numbers of steady traffic. McGregor decided to test the site’s commercial potential by selling bumper stickers. The venture was a success, and soon, what began as a small, friendly website, where a group of Australian surf rats could slap up pictures of themselves became the foundation for Sabre Vision - an independent eyewear brand now known worldwide for its progressive style and creative edge. By 2006, McGregor and partner Tabitha Shafran packed their things and moved to Newport Beach, CA to launch the new business.

Sabre Vision debuted their first designs at the Action Sports Retailer Expo in San Diego that same year. Since then, they have remained true to McGregor’s original design concept of corporate-free surf culture. Don’t Panic, the company’s premiere showroom, opened in 2008 in Newport Beach, featuring an all-black interior color scheme and a centerpiece fountain made out of a toilet.

Unlike most other eyewear, Sabre takes pride in using only handmade acetate frames. The use of these type frames, as opposed to the more commonly used molded plastic type, is what allows this innovative brand to indulge their fondness for the unique and anything-but-ordinary. The evidence is in such styles as the popular Poolside frames and the Madness frames, with interchangeable arms.

Sabre has a talent for carving out a niche with its celebrity collaborations and sports sponsorships. Miami Ink’s Tim Hendricks was part of one of the joint efforts, resulting in a new sunglass design featuring his signature artwork. Sponsoring athletes like skater Tom Knox and surfer Koby Abberton keeps the brand a part of the extreme sports world, where it has its roots.

Sabre's fresh "The Dude" sunglasses

Sabre's fresh "The Dude" sunglasses

This year, Sabre expanded their reach to include their new Threadz clothing line, consisting mostly of tees and hoodies. In keeping with the company’s laid-back philosophy, McGregor has consciously tried to avoid the fashion corporation stereotype of mass marketing by producing only a few brand-associated pieces with a limited distribution.

Will Sabre Vision eyewear soon be adorning all the right faces on the red carpet? Probably not. But they will continue to be the leader in notoriously cool sunglasses and a favorite of “youth culture”? Count on it.