FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., Oct 1, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Oakley Inc. (NYSE:OO) today announced a new product release that will launch an initiative to bring the company's patented eyewear technologies to the youth market.

The new Half Pint eyewear utilizes Oakley's proprietary innovations to provide unrivaled protection and optical clarity for the eyes of tomorrow's athletes.

"An eyewear revolution against mediocrity that began with inventions for men has now evolved into products for women and this, our latest introduction designed specifically for the youth market," commented Oakley President Colin Baden. "Our impact-resistant lenses and patented XYZ Optics(R) make for the safest and most optically accurate products available for this next generation of consumers."

A blend of science and art, the company's new Half Pint eyewear is engineered with lightweight, stress-resistant O Matter(R) frame material. It features sculpturally integrated hinges and Oakley's proprietary XYZ Optics(R), a patented breakthrough that maximizes peripheral clarity in eyewear with wrapped, raked-back lens curvature.

Half Pint also includes a restraining device of soft Unobtainium(R), an Oakley innovation that increases grip with perspiration.

UV Protection

Oakley's Half Pint eyewear provides unsurpassed protection against the damaging rays of ultraviolet radiation. The frame's Plutonite(R) lenses inherently block 100% of all UVA, UVB, UVC and harmful blue light. This protection is formulated into the lens material, as opposed to a thin surface film that can become scratched, leaving dilated pupils exposed to ultraviolet leaks.

The wrapped, raked-back architecture of Half Pint provides further protection by blocking UV from the periphery.

Impact Protection

The new Half Pint eyewear surpasses all industry standards for high-velocity and high-mass impact protection. For high-velocity impact testing, a quarter-inch steel shot is blasted from a pneumatic cannon at 102 mph. The high-mass impact test uses a metal spike (more than a pound of weight) dropped from more than four feet. These tests are designed by ANSI, the American National Standards Institute.

The unique combination of wrapped, raked-back lens geometry and durable Plutonite(R) lens material allows Oakley Half Pint eyewear to exceed the standards of these critical impact tests.

Performance Fit for Smaller Faces

To achieve unrivaled comfort and performance, Oakley's new Half Pint frame takes advantage of the company's Reduced Cranial Geometry, a science that utilizes CAD/CAM engineering and liquid laser prototyping to address the specific needs of smaller faces.

In addition, the company's proprietary Three-Point Fit technology ensures that the frames make contact only at the bridge of the nose and behind the temples. This retains optics in precise alignment and eliminates the discomfort of ordinary frames that hook the ears and mount with unbalanced pressure points.

Superior Optics

Wrapped, raked-back lens configurations optimize peripheral vision and protection, but such extreme contours cause optical distortion due to the bending of light, called "refraction." Oakley's patented XYZ Optics(R) prevents this distortion by achieving precise orientation between lens curvature and the human eye.

The patented geometry maintains clarity at all angles of view, even along the periphery of lenses. This requires optical correction in all three dimensions, not just the two dimensions utilized by conventional eyewear optics.

Engineered with XYZ Optics(R), Oakley's new Half Pint eyewear combines performance clarity with superior protection against sun, wind and side impact to maximize the safeguarding of young eyes.

About Oakley

Oakley: a world brand, driven to ignite the imagination through the fusion of art and science. Building on its legacy of innovative, market-leading, premium sunglasses, the company also offers an expanding line of premium performance footwear, apparel, accessories, watches and prescription eyewear to consumers in more than 70 countries.

Trailing-12-month revenues through June 30, 2002 totaled $458.9 million and generated net income of $45.5 million -- a 9.9 percent net margin.

Oakley news releases, SEC filings and the company's Annual Report are available at no charge through the company's Web site at www.oakley.com.

— Posted by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor