A Senior Project Development Engineer at Oakley, Evan Barnhart is one of the mad scientists behind the newest release from Oakley Standard Issue: The Urban Spin Camo Collection. Inside the walls of Oakley Headquarters, the machine is referred to as ‘Spinderella.’ Much like a captain names his ship, so in kind Barnhart names his machine.
The Inspiration
Oakley is always pushing the boundaries of creativity, experimenting with various forms of paint and process to achieve unique designs that tell a story or inspire the consumer. Urban Camo Spin is the archetype for this idea.
“Traditionally, most of the time as a manufacturing engineer, you are trying to make thousands of the same thing. With Spinderella, we are replicating an imperfect process to create a unique piece of eyewear.”
Evan Barnhart – Senior Project Development Engineer, Oakley
The inspiration for the process came from the most obvious choice: Barnhart’s 6-year-old daughter. Most children are very experimental and not afraid to make mistakes. Children have the benefit of not knowing what is not possible. For them everything is feasible. Thus, children are always full of experimentation. “My daughter had been obsessed with creating things, and I encouraged that curiosity,” says Barnhart. “I would feed her curiosity, but then it fed me as well, and created this light-bulb moment.” It was her random paint splatter technique that inspired Barnhart to think how he could replicate the movement with a machine. “It starts with an obsession: how can we design a machine to execute this type of process.”
The Process
Creating a machine that replicates a 6-year-old splattering paint is no easy task. The goal is to create a paint formula, and process, that create an outward aesthetic on eyewear. After all, the machine must work efficiently but must also create an aesthetic worth wearing.
Simple mechanical fixtures hold the eyewear center frame and stems into place. Applying no more than two or three colors, paint drips onto each piece. Close up the box, get ready for some splatter, and begin the spin. Watch the video below for the full process in action.
The Collection
When used correctly, paint is an effective material for camouflage. Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment. Using a black frame substrate, grey and dark blue paint was applied to create a camouflage ideal for an urban environment.
Two of our most popular styles, Gascan and Holbrook are available in the Oakley Standard Issue Urban Spin Camo Collection. Each one is unique and different. No two are alike. The eyewear is outfitted with Prizm Black Polarized lenses and includes a custom micro bag.
Discover the Kryptek Collection for the best camo for the great outdoors.