Ray-Ban Original Wayfarer Classic RB2140
Verified catalog entry: The frame that defined the wayfarer — hand-finished acetate, G-15 green lenses and a shape that flatters nearly every face.
- Frame shape
- Wayfarer
- Frame color
- Black
- Lens
- Green G-15 Standard
- Polarized
- No
- UV protection
- UV400
- Retailer
- Amazon
- Material
- Acetate
Pros
- Iconic trapezoidal shape
- Durable acetate frame
- G-15 glass lenses
Cons
- Base model not polarized
The story behind the frame
Designed by Raymond Stegeman and launched in 1952, the Wayfarer was one of the first sunglasses to take advantage of new plastic-molding techniques. Its heavy acetate front and forward-tilted, trapezoidal lenses broke sharply with the thin metal frames of the era.
Musicians and film stars adopted it through the 1950s and 1960s, sales faded in the 1970s, and then The Blues Brothers (1980) and Risky Business (1983) brought it roaring back. The RB2140 keeps the original's pronounced tilt and rivet details. See the history of the wayfarer.