Are Designer Sunglasses Worth the Price?

Thursday, 15 July 2010 | by Pat's Picks

Are all sunglasses created equal? The Wall Street Journal says a designer price tag does not necessarily mean a better product. The paper says the sunglasses industry is a case of “extreme vertical integration” - almost 70 percent of the pairs out there are made by the same company. That means those Prada specs that cost $500 are made by the same company that stock mall emporiums like Sunglasses Hut. Experts say the technology that makes sunglasses UV-resistant is relatively inexpensive, meaning that most of what you’re paying for is the brand name.