FMG Surfer Marc Lacomare Signs Two Year Deal With Oakley Eyewear

18 year-old French surfer Marc Lacomare from Hossegor starts off 2009 with a new eyewear sponsor. Marc signed a two-year deal with Oakley Eyewear right before taking off to the Billabong World Junior Championships in Australia where he came third and finished the highest ranked European.

"I know this might sound cheesy, but I'm really happy to be able to sign with a strong and prestigious brand such as Oakley. Oakley has a great support system and an equally great surf team. I was just yesterday thinking how amazing it would be to go a surf trip with Bruce Irons... The other good news is that I will be working closely with Yann Martin who is the Oakley team manager in France and also a great coach."

Says Yann Martin, Oakley team manager France: "I'm equally thrilled to have Marc on the Oakley team. He's a very talented surfer and shows maturity beyond his years. He had some very good results this year and to sign him up was a no-brainer for us; the second place at the Oakley Global Challenge, the French national Junior title, the European Junior title in Morocco and now the third place in Narrabeen at the World Juniors. Marc had nerves of steal during this contest, especially during his heat with Owen Wright, who was touted one of the event's favorites.
However, that's not all, because he also loves to charge big barrels. I'm sure Marc and Oakley will have a great future together."

Marc Lacomare is sponsored by DC, Oakley, Kommunity Project, Pukas Surfboards, FCS and Bidonvilla Sushibar.

FMG (Friday Management Group) is an action sports athlete management company, with a focus on quality before quantity.

FMG's goal is to provide its clients the necessary support and guidance to help them develop and maximize their careers. FMG is founded on the principles of commitment, forging long-term relationships and a 'nothing-is-impossible' attitude. The company is formed by independent sports TV production specialists, Friday.

Split Thump: An MP3 Player hidden in Oakley Sunglasses

Split Thump is the latest high-end pair of sunglasses from Oakley. As we all know, looks are deceptive, and at first glance this Split Thump pair of shades appears perfectly normal. But the fact is that these slim and stylish sunglasses from Oakley are actually an MP3 player in disguise. These lightweight sunglasses have a polished black frame with grey tinted lenses. These sunglasses have been designed in a way that they are sweat resistant, thereby giving access to joggers as well.

Oakley has designed the sunglasses with the MP3 player to suit your world and at the same time rock it. The Split Thump shades look every bit as stylish as any other pair of elite Oakley sunglasses, like the Oakley Minute Sunglasses, for example. Now you can virtually listen to the music anywhere by just either plugging in the speakers or the headphones and can simply unplug them when you just don’t need them. There are control buttons present on your sun glasses about which only you know. Therefore, now you have the convenience of controlling your entire music without anybody even coming to know about it.

This is a highly comprehensive wireless solution provided by Oakley where you just carry the music in something which you already have it with you. Split Thumb from Oakley features high definition Optics protection along with crisp and clear sound quality. The MP3 player is compatible with almost all the audio formats such as MP3, WAV, WMA, M4A, AAC and WMA with DRM 9.0. Oakley Split Thump is definitely a combination of an uncomplicated style and music which has been crystallized into original and clean sunglasses.

International Players Tour adopts Oakley as its Official Eyewear

International Players Tour (IPT) announces the selection of Oakley as the “Official Eyewear” of the IPT, joining the best athletes in the world who recognize that Oakley eyewear products provide the best optical clarity, impact resistance, and UV protection in the industry.

Under the terms of their agreement, IPT will promote Oakley eyewear to its membership at the 200+ events across the country in 2008, including major events such as the Ted Rhodes Classic and the 2008 Tour Championship Week later in the season.

Ron Beaman, Founder and President of IPT, voiced his excitement with the Oakley relationship, “Partnering with Oakley is a huge step for our organization. Their recognized leadership and endorsements in sports parallel our commitment at IPT to provide the best playing experience for our membership. And we’re indeed honored to promote their brand in our many events across the country.”

As stated on their web site – www.oakley.com – “Oakley was created for world-class athletes, those who see the limits of possibility as just another challenge. Their dedication drives us to look beyond the conventional ideas of industry standards. It’s in our DNA to identify problems, create inventions, and wrap those inventions in art. And simply to make things better than anyone thought possible.”

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Luxottica confirms 2008 guidance

Italian eyewear group Luxottica (LUX.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) confirmed its 2008 guidance on Thursday, as expected, and said it saw mid-single digit growth in second quarter sales at current exchange rates, despite tough market conditions.

The world's biggest eyewear group, which saw net profit fall 19 percent in the first quarter -- partly hit by a weak U.S. dollar and the U.S. consumer slowdown -- has forecast sales of 5.6 billion to 5.75 billion euros this year.

It expects earnings per share of 1.11 to 1.14 euros.

"I am more comfortable today than 4 months ago, dealing with these tough times, cost base and efficency," Luxottica Chief Executive Andrea Guerra told analysts on a conference call, which had been announced earlier this week to confirm guidance.

In a slide presentation, it said it saw second-quarter EBITDA margin growth in line with the first quarter. This excludes a non-recurring gain of about 20 million euros related to the sale of a property in the second quarter of last year.

Luxottica, which bought U.S. sports brand Oakley last year, said market conditions remained "tough" with a significantly delayed start of the sunny season in certain Mediterranean countries and U.S. dollar weakness.

Luxottica said it expected a more "normalised" business for the second half of the year. It should meet its full year guidance with "very clear plans" to compensate for a slowdown in certain countries for the wholesale division and said that there would be less of an impact from Oakley-related one-time charges.

It said it expects "good results" from manufacturing, sourcing and supply chains and potentially an improvement in the U.S. dollar and euro exchange rate. Continued...

Investors are looking at luxury goods makers for signs of cooling demand amid a global economic downturn. Some luxury goods groups have felt the impact of weaker sales but have said they expect results to hold up as long as the economic climate does not worsen.

Luxottica shares closed down 5.68 percent at 15.40 euros before the conference call.

Oakley's Enduring - Sunglasses designed by women for women

Sunglasses to me are what Manolo's are like to Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, in case you've been living under a rock.) I have the beach "cheapies" (10 bucks) and my stylish Kate Spades (let's just say over a hundred dollars), but for real performance I always carry my Oakley's. Simply put, they make the best polarized lenses - no distortion, real colors, and because of the "water sheer" factor, you can even wear them in the pool. (Oakley calls it, amusingly, the Hydrophobic feature, but basically it's a permanent lens coating that prevents water from leaving streaks and sheens, which can compromise vision. It also works against sweat, skin oils, fingerprints and suntan lotions.)

Now they've taken them one step further and improved the fit by enlisting female athletes in the design process. The result? Two sizes of interchangeable nose pieces which come with every frame, adapting for the perfect fit, and a frame made of something called "Unobtanium," which makes them light. Also, the supple synthetic increases grip with perspiration.

For unbeatable clarity at all angles of vision - even at the sides - the lens contours provide peripheral view and optimize protection against sun and wind, and - god forbid - side impact.

Two different lens shapes let you choose the amount of lens coverage; I prefer the Pace style but the Edge is very sporty, and I like them for biking. There's tons of frames and lenses to chose from. Whatever your choice, the semi-rimless design ensures that there's no frame rim to block downward view.