An Italian manufacturer called Luxottica, which makes shades for Dolce &Gabbana, Oakley, Ray-Ban, Prada, Chanel, Donna Karan, REVO, and Versace—yes, these are other pricey brands are all made by the same company—says it earns a hefty gross profit of 64¢ on each $1 in sales. And here’s another fact you’ve probably suspected but never knew for sure: The $300 pair of sunglasses doesn’t protect your eyes any better than the $100 pair, and chances are the pair that costs $40—or even $4—does the job pretty well too.
Luxottica not only owns or makes glasses for all of the listed brands and more, the Italian company also owns LensCrafters, Pearl Vision, and Sunglass Hut, according to the WSJ. No wonder the choices in these stores can seem limited—not necessarily with a skimpy number of options, but limited because it’s rare to find a pair of sunglasses for under $100.
