Article One Drops Five Classic Sunglasses For Runners

Intro

Two years ago, Article One splashed onto the run scene (ours, anyway) with its Ciele GT Glass partnership, offering a classic-yet-forward-thinking take on running eyewear. The Michigan-based company took care of all the details in providing Italian-made frames and lenses that stood out, even while standing in with the in-crowd. 

Last year, they followed up with another collaboration with San Francisco-based Mission Workshop, providing an angular aviator that became my most-worn pair of sunglasses over the last year. They’ve gone with me from running to beach days to weddings and everything in between. 

Needless to say, we were more than excited to try out the all-new 2022 Active Collection (available today), featuring more subdued but nonetheless classic styles of frames for the run. 

According to Article One, the new five-piece collection “blends Article One’s signature technical innovation with luxury and vintage styling by introducing a material that allows for more color richness, lighter-weight frames, enhanced flexibility, and more scratch-resistance than traditional performance sunglasses.” That’s a lot of words to say they make top-tier optics that make you look and feel cool.

Made for all athletic endeavors, from hiking to running, from racing to relaxing, one would assume you’d be getting the same standard athletic styling we see from every other manufacturer these days, which is to say faux Ray-Ban or full face shield.

However, this set oozes classic styling, from The Barron (inspired by Buddy Holly) to The Clifford (think vintage Miami aesthetic) to The Emmeline (Audrey Hepburn would be pleased). All of these silhouettes feel straight out of a Lana Del Rey music video, evoking sepia-toned feels from the halcyon days of summers past. However, the design is modified just enough to place them in the present. Article One did a great job of straddling that line with the modern aviator styling of the GT Glass and they do it again here.

The set rounds itself out with the The H, from which 100% of proceeds are donated to The H Foundation for cancer research, and the re-release of The Moon, Article One’s best-seller and recipient of multiple editorial awards from other run publications.

Of course, style is great and all, but when we’re talking about $199 sunglasses, we want to know we’re not getting the throwaway fast-fashion construction that a lot of us are accustomed to with the average budget running sunglasses.

Each style in this collection features frames that are crafted in two family-owned factories in Northern Italy, made with hexetate, allowing for improved flexibility, enhanced shape memory, lighter weight, and greater durability. Hexetate also requires less processing than traditional TR-90 plastic (used in performance eyewear), which reduces carbon footprint and excludes BPA and other toxins.

We can say from past experience that the lens quality is exceptional, providing superb clarity with CR39 polarized lenses that feature an anti-reflective coating to prevent road glare. Rounding things out are adjustable nose pads, rubber temple tips, and spring hinges.

Our Final Take

Outside the office, Article One is often found on our faces, and I can attest to the strength and durability of the frames and lenses. We’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again– there’s a certain “feel” that quality sunglasses have when they rest on your face. It’s weighty without being heavy, secure without putting pressure on the bridge or around the ears. It’s an intangible feeling, but nice sunglasses feel a certain way. Article One has that in spades.

The adjustable nose piece is comfortable and forms to whatever bridge shape you may have, but I do want to offer one caveat – in my Mission Workshop pair from last year, the bendable steel frame within the nose piece was affected by sweat over time, causing it to rust and discolor the silicone. While we just received the eyewear in this collection, I can’t give a full report on the sweat effect over months of wear. But it’s obvious the construction is the same so I fully expect the same thing to happen in this new set. It’s not visible when you’re wearing them, but it’s obvious when they’re off the face or in hand. I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker, as it’s more of an aesthetic thing, but when you’re paying $200-$300 for athletic eyewear, it’d be nice to know that all the components are sweatproof.

Every other part of the eyewear has held up to aggressive use, from the frames to the lenses. Over time, the sunglasses seem to have become even more comfortable as they break in, which is another aspect you don’t get from cheaper models that basically just break down or disintegrate over time. Again, something that comes with quality construction.

Article One has shown its dedication to style and substance again with the 2022 Active Collection and offers a variety of great styles that should suit any fashion-forward runner. Race with them, relax with them, party with them, after-party with them. To the moon and back, they’ll adapt to whatever pursuit you choose.

You can shop the entire collection by using the link below.