Vintage Ellesse Eyewear

Ellesse became iconic through its popularity on football terraces across the UK in the 80s and 90s. Football fans travelled across Europe on away matches, picking up the latest Italian threads to show off to their friends back in the UK.

With Ellesse's history in skiwear and tennis, their move into the burgeoning market of technical sports eyewear in the 1980s was much anticipated. A little known fact about the Ellesse logo is that it blends these two sports - with the tips of two skis combining with a tennis ball to make up the iconic emblem. Once you see it for the first time it is hard to ignore. 

This contrast between the preppy, elitist sports of tennis and skiing and the working man’s game of football only bolstered the cult appeal of Ellesse vintage eyewear. Ellesse is seeing a revival again within the streetwear scene. That has led people to discover for the first time the eyewear produced by Ellesse during the late 80s and early 1990s. 

Many vintage Ellesse sunglasses and spectacles were made in Japan. Famous for producing some of the finest frames around at this time. For instance, the legendary Jean Paul Gaultier collection was also almost exclusively made in Japan.

Enjoy browsing our incredible collection of unique vintage Ellesse eyewear. Don’t forget to get creative and add your own flavour to the Ellesse story by putting custom UV lenses in any of our glasses frames.