SCENE + HEARD Foster Grant Celebrates its 85th Birthday By Staff Monday, August 18, 2014 12:10 AM NEW YORK—FGX International celebrated the 85th anniversary of the Foster Grant brand on July 18, 2014, at the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel in New York City. “85 years ago, Sam Foster made a critical health accessory accessible and affordable to people in the U.S.,” said Gina Lazaro, chief marketing officer at FGX International. “Before that first sale of 10 cent Foster Grant sunglasses in 1929, protection from the sun’s UVA/UVB rays was limited only to those who could afford custom made sunglasses.” As part of the 85th anniversary, Foster Grant partnered with actress and musician Kat Graham for a series of Foster Grant print ads. Graham joins actress and author Brooke Shields as the latest celebrity featured in the brand’s “Who’s That Behind Those Foster Grants?” campaign, which will run in Marie Claire, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan magazines this summer. “I am honored to be working with such a great brand,” said Graham. “There’s a rich history behind Foster Grant and this campaign and I am happy to be among such an amazing cast of Hollywood stars. I also love the fact that Foster Grant helps so many people by donating eyewear through its charitable efforts.” FGX donates a pair of reading glasses through its “Pair for Pair” program—for every pair of reading glasses sold in the U.S. on www.readerglasses.com, the company’s online boutique, FGX donates a pair to Restoring Vision, a non-profit organization that distributes eyewear in developing countries. Over the last four years, FGX has donated more than 1.5 million pairs to the organization. 1/3 Graham and Foster Grant CEO Cesar Melo. Foster Grant brand president Jack Flynn (l) with the Today Show’s Dylan Dreyer. The Vampire Diaries actress and musician Kat Graham is the latest star to be featured in the brand’s historic “Who’s that behind those Foster Grants?” ad campaign.