Vuarnet’s Paris offices released a statement on January 3, 2017 that the sunglass company’s founder Jean Vuarnet passed away at the age of 83.
“Jean gave his name to the brand 60 years ago and in his honor we wish to review the historic milestones of this visionary champion,” said the statement.
Vuarnet was an athlete and won the downhill gold medal in the 1960 Winter Olympics at Squaw Valley in California and was a seven-time French ski champion. He was a pioneer in his sport discipline, and according to the brand was the first to develop the “egg” position that racers have been using for decades.
It was a meeting with a French optician in 1959 that marked the start of the business adventure that led to the creation of the brand Vuarnet. Optician Roger Pouilloux offered the French ski champion the 02 sunglass model as a token of his admiration. These sunglasses enabled Jean to improve his performance.
Jean Vuarnet was also instrumental in the development of the Avoriaz ski resort in 1960 and the “Porte du Soleil” ski area that joined 12 ski resorts between France and Switzerland in 1964. He then became the technical director of the Italian ski team from 1968 to 1972, and vice president of the French ski federation from 1972 to 1974.
Photo courtesy Vuarnet
