ML - Boston Common

2014 - Issue 3 - Summer

Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.

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Air Force One MASSACHUSETTSBASED SUNGLASS BRAND RANDOLPH ENGINEERING LAUNCHES ITS NEW FLASH COLLECTION. BY JESSICA LANIEWSKI S o you're obsessed with the elite Air Force look? Relax. No need to train as a para- trooper—just pick up a pair of Randolph Engineering's shades from its new luxury Flash Collection this summer. Fans of the company, which serves as a principal supplier of aviation f light glasses to the United States Department of Defense, include Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jon Hamm, and Tom Cruise. The sleek civil- ian design—57mm Concorde unisex glasses with 23k rose-gold-plated frames and secret- agent-worthy AGX polycarbonate lenses—mix armed forces with fashion. The family business, which was founded in 1972 by optical industry veterans Jan Waszkiewicz and Stanley Zaleski, designs, develops, and fabricates all of their frames at the brand's headquarters in Randolph, Massachusetts, where much of the process is done by hand. "We have a storied history, and being a military supplier [since 1982] with roots in avia- tion, it is important that our glasses be functional. We have extended that into our fashion prod- ucts," says Ekene Ofodile, Randolph's senior vice president of sales and marketing. One of the best things about the military-grade sunglasses? "They are pretty much indestructible and have a lifetime warranty," says Ofodile. "Our poly- carbonate lenses are more scratch-resistant than other brands, and they undergo impact testing." Translation: Your new sunglasses can withstand any tie-breaking sandy slide at the annual beach volleyball game (but you, on the other hand…). Ball and Buck, 144B Newbury St., 617-262-1776; randolphusa.com BC Concorde Rose Gold sunglasses ($169). PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF CRAWFORD; STYLING BY TERRY LEWIS 80 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM LOCAL TREASURES

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