NEW YORK—Oakley launched a global brand campaign last month with a party at its SoHo store here to celebrate collaborations between artists and the Olympic athletes who inspired them. Bryan Clay, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist decathlete and prominent artist Natalie Frank premiered a specially-commissioned art piece that reflected the campaign’s theme, “Beyond Reason” and depicted how elite athletes approach their performance through a distinct, personal lens.

During the 100 days leading up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Oakley will partner its international family of athletes with artists to launch Beyond Reason. Other Olympians participating in the Beyond Reason campaign include U.S. beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh, British cyclist Mark Cavendish, South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, Australian cyclist Cadel Evans and Spanish triathlete Javier Gomez.

Beyond Reason “exemplifies the driving attitude that fuels and fires Oakley athletes to exceed the limits of possibility,” according to Oakley.

“The Beyond Reason mentality is what drives, inspires and fuels me to push myself every minute of every day to perform at the highest levels,” said Clay. “Working with Oakley and Natalie on this Beyond Reason art gave me an outlet to showcase my mental approach to performance and how I view challenges—not as barriers, but as boundaries that can and will be pushed.”

The art pieces inspired by each athlete’s Beyond Reason vision will be displayed at the London Design Museum on July 26, 2012, the night before the opening Olympic ceremonies, for a special gala to celebrate Beyond Reason and the Oakley athletes competing in the 2012 Olympics. Oakley will also debut RadarLock, a performance sunglass designed to deliver comfort, performance and protection for athletes at any level. Switchlock Technology featured in RadarLock allows athletes to change lenses quickly and easily, enabling them to match their vision to the environment.  ■



 
 Mike Crowell, Oakley’s VP of product marketing, explained the concept behind the “Beyond Reason” campaign to the party guests. Artist Natalie Frank and Olympic decathalon gold medalist Bryan Clay displayed their artistic collaboration at the kick-off event of Oakley’s “Beyond Reason” campaign. 
   
 A collaboration between artist Sarah Olson and Olympic sprinter Lolo Jones and Sarah Olson titled, “Run Lolo Run.” Oakley’s Greg Welch, an Ironman triathlon world champion, listens while Sarah Olson explains how her art was inspired by Olympian Lolo Jones.