The Polaroid Eyewear 75th anniversary celebration planned for the last week of October in New York City had to be postponed due to the ill-timed arrival of Hurricane Sandy.
Polaroid Eyewear had plans to celebrate its 75th Anniversary on October 30th at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City where guests were invited to discover, explore and interact with the brand's history of technology, heritage and innovation as well as learn more about how Polaroid Eyewear is moving forward into the future. It made sense that the gala event would be held at the MoMA as the museum’s collection of Architecture and Design includes a unique and original pair of 1946 Polaroid sunglasses in its care that was manufactured by the American Optical Corp. and donated to the MoMA by Edgar Kaufmann Jr., heir to the famous family home Fallingwater designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
The 75th Anniversary event was to be focused on Polaroid Eyewear’s new Polaroid Plus Sunglasses Collection, that combines the latest results in polarization technology with brand new frame styles designed for a minimal and urban look. Guests were to be invited to experience polarization through a “glare installation” at the museum that would demonstrate the unique vision of the Polaroid polarized lens, and they would also have the opportunity to preview, touch and try out the new Polaroid Plus sunglasses for themselves. The Polaroid Plus collection was produced by the Safilo Group, a world leader in manufacturing high quality polarizing lenses. The new Polaroid sunglasses collection will go on sale worldwide beginning in Spring of 2013 and are available in 10 different styles, each one featuring the new Polaroid UltraSight Plus technology that the company says “is eye care at its best.” The new lenses are reported to be the pinnacle of the evolution of the polarized lens, which Polaroid says it is now making without the use of glues to ensure perfect vision, high protection and comfort.
Although Polaroid Eyewear is recognized as a world leader in optics and lens technology, and has a comprehensive network of distribution partners around the globe, there was one global partner that refused to cooperate with the company’s gala anniversary party plans in the form of the weather during the last week of October in New York City. As everyone knows by now, severe weather conditions caused by Hurricane Sandy wiped out everyone in New York’s plans for the week and beyond. Polaroid is still planning to host its event at the MoMA, but no new date has been announced yet because no one knows how long it will take for the city to get back to normal following the worst weather disaster to hit the area in many years. Polaroid is justifiably proud of its 75 years of accomplishment, but it looks like it will have to wait a few more weeks before the milestone can be celebrated in the style it deserves.
