Kaenon

We’re proud to announce that we’ve teamed up with Medal of Honor Warfighter as the official sunglasses of the new video game, available around the globe on October 23.

From the Medal of Honor website:

“The new Medal of Honor Warfighter game is inspired by and has been developed with Tier 1 Operators from this elite, international community. This personal story was written by actual Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas. In it, players will step into the boots of these elite warfighters and apply their unique skill sets to track down a real global threat, in real international locations, sponsored by real enemies. It doesn’t get any more authentic then Medal of Honor Warfighter…”

As one of the few exclusive, authentic brands integrated into the game, we are proud to join with the others in giving back to associated charities, within the military community.

“During the past ten years, one of the most personally moving experiences I’ve enjoyed resulted from encounters I’ve had with former Navy SEALs who explained to me that they selected Kaenon as part of their required equipment because of the superior lens clarity, durability, and overall superior product performance,” says Darren Rosenberg, co-founder of Kaenon. “It is an honor for our brand to be part of this elite group of warriors and it is a unique privilege to be able to align with the Medal Of Honor franchise and to be able give back to the Tier 1 community and the families of these incredible individuals.”

As we approach the launch of Medal of Honor Warfighter, later this year, we’ll continue to keep you updated on game updates and opportunities to contribute to the cause.

To shop the full line of Kaenon Polarized Sunglasses, visit our website.
Individuals in the military or law enforcement can browse at GovX:

20/20 Magazine pulls back the curtain on our long-time, Kaenon frame designer, Harald Belker. Known throughout Hollywood for his work designing for Batman, Iron Man, Minority Report, The Cat in the Hat, and upcoming movies Battleship and Total Recall, Harald spends his time off the silver screen creating our original sunglass designs. Check out the full scoop on Harald and his inspiring work HERE, and then watch our latest video as a visual counterpart to the story.

Our Jetty sunglass was recently featured in Golf Tips Magazine. Read what they had to say about our sunglasses below:

“The slick, light and unisex Jetty shades from Kaenon feature tall temples and a rectangular shape. When we slipped these frames on, they blocked out mucho light and were easy on our eyes in the SoCal sun. We’ll chalk that up to the SR-91 polarized lenses, which have the optical clarity of glass, but the light weight and durability of a polycarbonate. As seen on Pat Perez and Sophie Gustafson. Told you they were unisexy. Kaenon.com”

Our friends over at FishStrong recently featured our polarized sunglasses, specifically the copper lens, in an in-depth review, offering their third-party validation of our most popular lens for fishing.

Head on over to their website and read their glowing, third-party review, showing how well our lenses perform while out on the hunt for your next big catch!

Full review here:
http://fishstrong.com/kaenon-polarized-sunglasses-review/

We’re hosting our annual Winter Sample Sale on Saturday, December 10, 2011!

Incredible deals on samples from Kaenon, Hinano, Ocean Minded, and Ladera Skateboards. Food from the Crepes Bonaparte food truck!

Saturday, December 10, 2011.
9AM-2PM PST.

864 W. 16th Street
Newport Beach, CA 92663
(in the rear parking lot)

CASH & MAJOR CREDIT CARDS

Sunglasses, sandals, apparel and skateboards. Come stock up on your favorite brands, take care of holiday shopping, or just come eat and hang out! Product always goes quickly, so show up early and don’t miss out! Spread the word and we’ll see you Saturday (12/10) morning!

Bloomberg Television, the leading financial network based in New York, will take an exclusive look inside Kaenon’s company headquarters and business practices during the second season of “The Mentor” on Tuesday, November 8 at 9 p.m ET/PT. Chosen by Bloomberg for its unique blend of industry-leading technology and lifestyle-driven focus, Kaenon’s brand story will be told by co-founding brothers Steve and Darren Rosenberg who will also discuss how to tackle new growth as the premium sunglass brand prepares to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

“This is the first time that Steve and I have spoken so publicly about our business,” says Darren Rosenberg, COO and co-founder. “Certainly, this is the first time that we have allowed television cameras into our offices and warehouses. I think this show will offer our consumers and fans a unique perspective of our business and brand strategy. At the same time, I suspect there are other entrepreneurs, business owners and managers who may connect with the topics explored on camera for this show.”

Watch the full episode:

Created by Bloomberg, which spans television, radio, the Internet and print publications, “The Mentor” is a reality-documentary that will provide rare insight to Kaenon’s strategies and market challenges. In addition, the show will discuss Kaenon’s brand history and the company’s passion-driven focus on innovation, including their patented SR-91® polarized lens technology, award-winning eyewear and industry-pioneering manufacturing processes.

Well-respected retail guru and former Wall Street CEO, Jay Margolis, acted as the episode’s “mentor” visiting with Steve and Darren to discuss business strategies for continued growth and brand development while navigating through turbulent economic conditions.

“Jay was a pleasure to work with,” says Darren. “In addition to providing valuable insights concerning retail strategies and brand positioning, we enjoyed speaking about Jay’s other passions including stand-up paddling, mountain climbing and snowboarding. It was little surprise when he admitted that he’s been a Kaenon fan for years – ever since he purchased a pair of Kaenons at a local retail store during one of his family snowboarding trips.”

Margolis, 62, has had a decorated career with a focus on consumer merchandising and retailing, working in C-Suite and directorial positions for brands like Reebok, Godiva Chocolatier Inc., Tommy Hilfiger Inc., The Limited Brands, Liz Claiborne Inc., Esprit de Corp., and MacGregor Golf Company. As an outdoor enthusiast himself, Margolis was able to lend authentic insight regarding Kaenon’s premium product quality and superior craftsmanship.

“As a result of our experience with The Mentor, we challenged ourselves to explore new brand and retail strategies to further improve the way that we engage our customers and evolve our relationships with retail partners,” says Darren Rosenberg. “Over the past 10 years we have built the Kaenon brand based on a strong foundation of personal relationships, whether they include our incredibly loyal consumers, the elite athletes who choose our product as essential equipment or our network of suppliers who exhibit pride of workmanship and craftsmanship in everything they produce for us. And with Jay Margolis, we built a relationship with another Kaenon fan.”

Visit the “The Mentor” website to find television listings in your area.  Additional information can be found on our Bloomberg The Mentor page.

Tackle Trade World, the fishing trade magazine, recently featured Kaenon Polarized’s Hard Kore JM10 model. Read their feature below:

“SUNGLASS brand Kaenon has unveiled what it believes to be the ultimate performance sunglasses. The result of innovative materials and a ‘function first’ focus, HARD KORE glasses offer the ultimate in performance. A testament to the company’s commitment to KORE Performance design and engineering, HARD KORE glasses represent the next evolution of the brand’s award-winning KORE models. These fresh designs are lightweight, incredibly durable and intuitively integrate with the natural form of the wearer’s head while accommodating different facial features.”

In the latest Gear Guide, issued by Backpacker Magazine, we spotted a pair of Soft Kore, worn by editor Kelly Bastone, knocking out glare on the title page for the Apparel section.

Head to the back of the issue and see Kanvas too, along with the following praise:
“I Never Go Without: On cold-weather trips, backcountry conditions make every gear choice a serious one. Meet a few of our top testers and learn what they never leave behind: Kaenon Porter Sunglasses: Large lenses shield my eyes from wind and snow glare. 2011 equivalent: Kanvas. $179 – Darryl Nakahira, shell tester”

Kaenon Polarized, the Newport Beach-based Lifestyle and Luxury Performance sunglass brand, announces the launch of its 2011 Anniversary Collection, in celebration of reaching its 10 year milestone as a company. The Anniversary Collection is available in November, online and through Kaenon’s authorized dealer network.

“To achieve 10 years of ongoing success, launching a new brand from scratch while enduring major macro-economic down cycles, has been nothing short of amazing,” says Steve Rosenberg, company co-founder and CEO. “Led by a burning commitment to innovation, premium quality and world-class customer service from a wonderful team are just a few of the elements that have made Kaenon Polarized a very special brand, product and team to be a part of during the past 10 years. We expect the next 10 to be even more satisfying.”

A generous cross-section of the existing Luxury, Lifestyle and Kore Performance lines, every piece in the Anniversary Collection expresses hallmark Kaenon traits including Italian hand-painted craftsmanship, comfort and performance fit, and the optically superior SR-91 polarized lens.

Eight, uniquely Kaenon styles are included in this celebratory release and, as a tribute to the past decade, are being introduced in unique, hand-painted color combinations including:

Hard Kore JM10 G12/C12
Soft Kore Matte Black G12/C12
Burnet Black/Crystal Clear G12
Delite Tortoise n’ Cream C12
Gauge Pinstripe G12
Squeeze Tortoise C12
Eden Honeysuckle C12
Trade Matte Tobacco C12

These new additions to the already popular line of Luxury, Lifestyle and Kore Performance sunglasses offer brand loyalists even more stylistic options, fitting seamlessly into all areas of their active lifestyles. The Anniversary Collection expresses the quality, style and attention to detail for which Kaenon has become known over the past decade.

“My brother and I launched Kaenon Polarized 10 years ago to fulfill a simple mission,” says Darren Rosenberg, co-founder and COO. “We were not satisfied with existing sunglasses, so we developed proprietary polarized lenses and housed them in frame styles and color treatments that we wanted to wear. Today we are proud to show a collection of over 30 frame styles designed in Newport Beach and hand-painted in Italy. Kaenon has always been about premium quality and a strong desire to never compromise. A keen focus on such core values continues to guide our vision as we grow the Kaenon brand into its second decade.”

Kaenon Polarized has become the leader in superior polarized lens technology in the premium sunglass market by introducing an entirely new polarized lens material, SR-91™. This proprietary material is standard in all pieces and is the only polarized lens that combines superior optical clarity, impact-protection and glare reduction all in one ultra-lightweight lens. Kaenon SR-91 polarized lenses are available in a variety of lens tints and Light Transmission Levels.

The brand has also revolutionized premium prescription lens processing by pioneering the use of computer-aided design, known as “free-form” technology, in 8-base wrapped polarized lenses. Unlike other sunglass brands, Kaenon prescription lenses are available in every frame in the company’s broad collection of sunglasses for both men and women.

Kaenon Polarized is an official sponsor of the 2011 Park City Point 2 Point mountain bike race. Additionally, Kaenon Polarized sponsored rider, Alex Grant, the winner of the event the past two years, and fellow team rider Marshall Eames, will compete in the 78-mile event on September 3, that will travel between The Canyons, Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley. Never crossing the same section of trail twice, the course rises over 14,000 feet, pushing athletes to their physical limits.

“The Point 2 Point is unique in that it is almost all single-track,” said Grant. “That makes for a tough day in the saddle because you need to be mentally focused the whole time in order to navigate the technical terrain.”

Proper eyewear is a necessity as riders traverse the course. Alex Grant and Marshall Eames wear Kaenon Polarized sunglasses due to the superior optical clarity and protection offered by the patented SR-91 polarized lenses. Preferred by most mountain bikers, the Copper 28 and 50 lens tints (allowing 28% and 50% of essential light to the eye) let riders tune their vision depending on light conditions. Kaenon’s collection of Kore Performance sunglasses are the perfect choice for biking in any condition, reducing eye fatigue when riding in and out of shadows, protecting against plants and debris, enhancing contrast when riding on trails, and allowing for increased visual awareness at high speeds.

“Riding single-track for seven hours without stopping requires a lot of focused vision,” said Grant. “You need your eyes to be protected and relaxed rather than strained. Kaenon’s ultra-efficient polarized lens does that better than any other lens out there.”

Kaenon Polarized’s newest style, Trade, was recently featured in Laguna Beach Magazine. Not only was the sunglass featured, but also Robert Howson, the owner of Harbour Surfboards in Seal Beach, CA sporting a pair of Rhinos, as well as showing a bit of love with a Kaenon sticker on his paddle board.

Kaenon Polarized styles Spindle and Georgia were recently featured in the magazine “Sweat Equity.” Read the feature below:

“Georgia is a true Lifestyle Performance fashion frame that fits a wide range of female face shapes with its tastefully oversized, wrapped frame front. Sleek, clean and curved temples are adorned with polished Kaenon jewel icons that identify this Kaenon Polarized original design. Georgia is a fashion drive piece with function. Enhance with Kaenon’s proprietary SR-91 polarized lenses, Georgia will beg you to go outside and play – protecting your eyes and skin with a statement of style.

A highly sophisticated, light-weight, retro-inspired, semi-rimless frame, the epitome of less is more comes through in the Spindle Series. Spindle S3’s semi-rimless aviator design, features refined frames packed with Kaenon’s industry-leading commitment to high-quality details. The adjustable nose pads composed of silicone Air Bags result in a light and comfortable anchoring point on the nose. The durable single-spring hinges and Variflex rubber temple tips offer unmatched comfort and secure fit while providing you with the needed protection of Kaenon polarized lenses.”

Kaenon Polarized style Kanvas is on display in the newest issue of Siempre Hombre magazine, featuring Enrique Iglesias on the cover.

“Clothing and accessories with futuristic touches for a unique and personal look.”
“Titanium frame sunglasses from Kaenon Polarized, $189” (Kanvas)

“Florida Sport Fishing” recently featured Kaenon’s newest men’s piece, Trade, is the July/August issue. Read the review below:

“QUALITY GLASS – Kaenon’s TRADE polarized fishing glasses are a must have for anyone who cares about optical performance. Patented SR-91 polarization technology results in razor-sharp clarity, impact-resistant attributes and unparalleled glare reduction. Identifiable by an oversized frame, the boxy design features angular lines and ergonomically engineered load-spreading temple tips for maximum comfort. Clean with intelligent details, TRADE offers the perfect combination of protection, function and beach-inspired attitude. Available in matte black, black or brown olive frame, with a choice of gray or copper lens. Kaenon Polarized, 866.523.6661, kaenon.com”

The Summer 2011 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine takes an in-depth look at the world of sunglasses. This well researched and written article breaks down the benefits of polarization, the variety of lens tints and colors, lens materials, and frame construction. Within the six-page article, the magazine features Kaenon’s proprietary SR-91 polarized lenses and reviews our Kanvas and Klay styles. Read excerpts below and pick up the issue for the full story.

“Lens Materials: Proprietary lens materials are available from several manufacturers, including Kaenon’s SR-91 and Oakley’s Plutonite. These materials aspire to the optical clarity and scratch-resistance of glass, but with greater impact-resistance and less weight. These can be excellent materials, but as a rule they are priced closer to glass than polycarbonate, and you’re restricted to the frame styles offered by a single manufacturer.

Kaenon Kanvas
Price: $169
Frames: A bit of a departure from Kaenon’s tendency to massive fishing frames, this new, more restrained, close-fitting design with non-slip nose pads still nicely minimizes light entry. This is a good compromise between light-blocking and frame bulk in a top-quality product.
Lens Tested: Kaenon’s proprietary SR 91 lens material offers sharp, glass-quality optics but with better impact resistance—a superb material . The copper C12 tint (12% VLT) is a highly credible general-purpose fishing color—certainly acceptable in lower light, but at its best in stronger illumination, whether cloudy or sunny, with crisp contrast. The lenses give a slightly reddish cast that some anglers might find annoying, though I wasn’t bothered. www.kaenon.com

Kaenon Klay
Price: $169
Frames: Extremely wide temples that are continuous with some frame fronts give superb coverage all the way around, though the fit is so close that lenses can fog up. Rubber nose pads and general springiness in frame hold these on your face, and they are fairly light for a big design. From the light-blocking standpoint, among the most practical and effective designs tested.
Lenses Tested: The SR 91 with G12 tint is a neutral gray with 12% VLT that is best under very bright conditions. There’s less image “enhancement” than with other tints, but top-notch flare cutting and true color transmission make these easy on the eyes for all-day wear. Both Kaenon glasses are well suited to anglers who want the optical quality of glass with less weight and greater impact resistance, and as quality sunglasses go, these are nicely priced.”

On Sunday, June 19, the Rock2Rock paddleboard and stand up paddle race will be held beginning in Isthmus, Catalina Island and ending at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, CA. Kaenon Polarized is a proud sponsor of the event, which unveiled a new, 22.17 mile course this year that paddlers, in varying age and experience divisions, will undertake beginning early Father’s Day morning.

Other event sponsors include Koffee Kart Cafe, Function Water, Hinano Tahiti, Bark Paddleboards, Sarcoma Alliance and Ocean of Hope.

For all of the details on the race, visit the Rock2Rock website.

New Kaenon Polarized styles, Trade and Squeeze, were featured in the June issue of Motor Boating magazine. Read the review below:

“Full Coverage: Fresh for this summer are Kaenon’s Trade and Squeeze frames. The Trade frames (right) are geared toward men and the Squeeze (above) toward women, but both offer maximum eye coverage for the wearer. The Trade has wide, load-bearing temple tips for comfort and nonslip and Variflex nose pads to anchor them to even the saltiest face. The Squeeze, meanwhile, are uniquely colored and are, say Motor Boating Art Director Emilie Whitcomb, “lightweight and comfortable, especially due to the shorter temples. They also provide exceptional viewing.” Both come equipped with patented SR-91 polarized lenses that are prescription-adaptable. Trade, $200; Squeeze, $230. Kaenon.com”

Outside Magazine released their 2011 Buyer’s Guide and Kaenon Polarized had a great showing with both Hard Kore and Sequence.

“Kaenon Hard Kore $219.
THE SELL: Luxury multisport performer, newly release in white. THE TEST: Get past the loud design and there’s solid performance engineering here; sticky pads at the nose and ears, a springy frame that hangs on to the head, all-around coverage from frames tight to the eyebrows and lenses that drop to your cheekbones. Thanks to glare-killing polarized dark gray poly lenses, your eyes can kick back and see with cool clarity, even in the worst glare hells. And we dig the asymmetric logoing at the temples-KAENON right, outrageous abstract thingy left. Great for the road or sun-hammered granite. But you’re feelin’ the beach, aren’t you? Miami Beach. Hot tubs and champagne, baby! THE VERDICT: Super shades if you’ve got the nerve. Available in other colors if you don’t. kaenon.com
VALUE: 4
PERFORMANCE: 4.5
LOOK: 5 (UNLESS IT’S 0.5)”

“KAENON’s SEQUENCE SUNGLASSES are our go-to when renting a scooter or bike or heading to the trails. Kaenon’s proprietary polarized lenses provide crystal-sharp glass-like optics but with the light weight and durability of polycarbonate. Plus, spring hinges eliminate pressure points and accommodate a variety of heads. $339; Kaenon.com”

Major league manager Joe Maddon recently sat down with TheScore.com for a quick interview, talking Kaenon Polarized, baseball and thrill-seeking. See the clip below:

Last weekend Kaenon Polarized hosted the 3rd annual “SUP For a Pup” charity event to raise money for A Wish for Animals, a non-profit animal rescue. With 25 dogs on site for adoption and massive sales from Naish, OluKai, Quickblade, and Hinano Tahiti. During the one-day event, approximately $10,000 was raised for local animal rescue, A Wish For Animals (AWFA), and 15 dogs found new homes.

“The dog gods were smiling on this year’s event,” said Chris Wyman, founder of the event and Sports Marketing Director at Kaenon Polarized. “It went off, turning out far better crowds than the past 2 years. I am very, very pleased with the results.”

With last-minute sunny skies, energetic crowds flocked to the Newport Beach headquarters to adopt needy dogs and for the sales as well as food from Wahoo’s Fish Taco, massages from Angell Chiropractic & Wellness and Star face painting. The combined effort and contributions from all in attendance brought the success of the event to a new level.

“Everybody was so happy to be here,” said Toni Eakes, founder of AWFA. “There is such a good energy here. We’re happy if we get any dog adopted and if we raise any money to keep our shelter going. Every year just gets better and better.”
Over the past three years, combined, the annual event has raised $25,000 to assist AWFA and found quality homes for approximately 45 dogs.

Other contributing companies to the event included Function Drinks, Standup Paddle Magazine, Transworld Surf, Surfer Magazine, ProBar, CamelBak, Lowepro, Race Face, VMG Sail Shades, and DT Swiss who donated items for the sale as well as the day-long raffle which raised over $1000, a new record for the event.

To make additional donations and see photos from the event visit www.supforapup.com

Triathlete Magazine recently featured Soft Kore. Read what they had to say below:

“Designed specifically for women, the Soft Kore is a high-end performance-oriented model with shrunken geometry and shorter temples to fit feminine features. Ideal sunglasses for cycling, the semi-rimless frame allows for unobstructed downward vision and increased airflow while the polarized technology provides unparalleled optical clarity.”

Our newest style, Trade, was featured in the April issue of Pacific Coast Sportfishing:

“Walk into any tackle shop and you’ll find a plethora of polarized sunglasses. Wait – you want some that are stylish and prescription-adaptable, too? That’s different.

Enter Kaenon. The clean and simple frame design of Trade is accented by angular lines and maximum eye coverage in an extremely comfortable fit that makes this addition to the men’s Lifestyle Performance line an ideal cross section of performance and design for the everyday, all-day guy who seeks protection, function and good looks with subtle beach-inspired attitude. While large in look, Trade fits a broad range of face shapes and head sizes. The tall and boxy, yet sleek design enjoys angular lines and ergonomically engineered load-spreading temple tips, fusing Kaenon’s hallmark California design-sense and functionality. Buried Variflex nose pads anchor the frame securely, offering a slip-free experience so the frame remains comfortably on your face, no matter where you take them.

Trade is available in brown olive, black, and matte black with patented SR-91 polarized lenses that are Rx adaptable in Single-Vision and Freestyle Progressive. Visit www.kaenon.com for more details.”

Klay was featured in the March/April issue of Big Game Fishing Journal:

“Kaenon’s Klay design is distinguished by a universal fit with performance and protection features that double as design treaments commonly found in many of Kaenon’s best selling styles. Designed in California and made in Italy out of injection-molded TR-90, Klay is a wrapped, 8-base frame with tall temples for protection from sun, wind, water, and dirt that taper aft into flexible and comfortable temple tips for all day use. Buried Variflex nose pads provide additional comfort and performance characteristics no matter what your activity or use. Powerful, custom-engineered internal cam-driven hinges come standard, as do the SR-91 polarized lenses in two tints housed in tobacco, gloss black and matte black frame colors. All frames include a sport case and micro fiber cleaning and carrying pouch. Klay is Rx adaptable with SR-91 prescription polarized lenses in Single Vision or Fresstyle Progressive.”

Sunglasses Magazine feature Kaenon Hard Kore:

“To help analyze which frame colors would be most prominent in the Spring/Summer 2011 season, Sunglasses enlisted the help of Stylesight’s Accessories Editor, Claire Foster. Some of the main color themes she foresees being a hit this upcoming season include tortoiseshell, gold, purples and plums, and black-and-white combinations. As you can see, the future isn’t so focused on brights as much as it is on subtly hued shades. Here’s a look at some prime examples of the colorways that are sure to be first on your customers’ wish lists in 2011.”

MarieClaire.com recently featured Kaenon Polarized Burny on their website as part of their fashion trends and female athletic style, showcasing four hard-bodied star athletes and how to get their street style. Check it out, slide #24: