Oakley’s new Kato Sunglasses
Built to sit as close to the face as possible, Oakley’s new Kato Sunglasses provide a mask-like feel. The frameless, wrap-around Prizm lens bends around the nose, allowing it to sit closer to the face. An adjustable rake mechanism tilts the lens to the ideal angle for the wearer and joins three different no-slip Unobtainium nose pads to ensure a customized, seamless fit.
Professional cyclist Chris Froome was spotted rocking a pair of previously unseen Oakley sunglasses during the Vuelta an España, a 21-stage Grand Tour race that winds around the Iberian peninsula. The sleek, all-black shades bore Oakley’s signature wraparound design but seemed to lack a frame entirely — and included a unique extension of the one-piece lens over the bridge of the nose.
True to speculation, the Kato is strange — mask-like and completely frameless. Oakley figured out how to get rid of the extra plastic and instead put frame-mimicking points of rigidity right in the lens — notice how the lens gets thicker and flares outward at the forehead, like a frame. Oakley says that building the glasses this way brings the lens closer to the face.
The Kato’s feature set doesn’t stop with the frameless design either. It has a place for rubberized nose pads that is seemingly stuck right onto the back of the lens and comes with three different sizes. Plus, its sidearms rotate, changing the tilt of the glasses to accommodate variations in face shape while maintaining the close fit.
Price: $291