Oakley Sunglasses
Founded by an entrepreneur by the name James Jannard, Oakley started with a $300 investment. It is hard to believe that it has since become the iconic sunglass brand that it now is. In the past, a Milan-based company called Luxottica purchased it. Despite this, Oakley still has its HQ in Lake Forest, California. Founded in 1975, the company launched an IPO and raked in $230 million twenty years later. It has since expanded into other products such as ski goggles and chin guards. After James Jannard sold the company, he decided to go into a different industry and launched Red Digital Cinema in 2007.
Oakley Sunglasses
Converse
Best known for its high-top canvas shoes, Converse got its start in Boston in 1908. However, it had no choice but to stop production when the Second World War erupted. During that period of time, it made shoes for the military. Once the war was over, it came back and kept certain features in its products. Things changed for Converse after it filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Athletic shoes giant Nike bought the brand to keep it afloat in 2003. With a parent company that owns many plants in China, it started to be manufactured abroad as well. The shoes are now made in India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Converse
