Celebrities, Musicians and Fashionistas Rock On at the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sessions

Celebrities, Musicians and Fashionistas Rock On at the Ray-Ban Wayfarer Sessions

NEW YORK, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrities including Mischa Barton, Molly Sims and Jimmy Fallon gathered at Irving Plaza in New York City on Wednesday night to celebrate the return of the original Ray-Ban Wayfarer. The evening included an exclusive exhibit of iconic rock photography shot by legendary rock photographer Mick Rock.

For this series of portraits, Ray-Ban Wayfarer and Mick Rock teamed up with the cream of today's music scene. Mick Rock shot Franz Ferdinand, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Peaches, Primal Scream, Johnny Marr, LCD Soundsystem and Eagles of Death Metal wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers. These young guns follow in the footsteps as previous icons such as The Smiths, Beastie Boys and U2 who chose to cement their iconic status by wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarer.

Mick Rock shot the images in New York and London. With more rock 'n' roll tales than a stack of 1970s Rolling Stones, he traded tales from music's frontline with these new young Turks.

Eagles of Death Metal gave a special performance among these and other vintage images of Madonna, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and The Smiths wearing Ray- Ban Wayfarers.

"The Ray-Ban Wayfarer is cool and that's a fact," said Mick Rock. "Any rocker with an image and an edge knows that. That's why I'm buzzed to be framing these sharp shades with my rock 'n' roll eye."

In New York's East Village rock mecca, Niagara, The Killers' Brandon Flowers chose to be captured wearing his prescription Ray-Ban Wayfarers -- a common sight to anyone who's followed the band's recent videos and magazine appearances.

It was a theme maintained by Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos, resplendent in vintage cowboy shirt and his prized pair of vintage Ray-Ban Wayfarers. Mick captured his iconic portrait in New York's The Annex, one of the newest music venues on the Lower East Side.

In the basement of an Italian speakeasy in London's Soho, Kaiser Chief's Ricky Wilson showed up with a full beard and a studio tan -- he's been hard at work on the follow-up to 2005's multi-million selling Employment -- to be photographed in front of framed pictures of Sinatra, and other Italian greats.

Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie met with Johnny Marr -- former Smiths guitar-hero, now making sweet music with Washington's Modest Mouse -- in a dingy East End boozer in England, spending the afternoon catching up with one another as scratchy Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan records played in the background.

This, then, represents the very best of today's rock school: icons one and all. More than that: icons who effortlessly sit alongside the biggest and the boldest from the last 50 years of rock 'n' roll. How? Thanks to killer songwriting, a stand-alone attitude their Ray-Ban Wayfarers -- that's how.

Following New York, the exhibit will travel to London and then Tokyo.

About Luxottica Group: Luxottica Group is a global leader in eyewear, with nearly 5,500 optical and sun retail stores mainly in North America and Asia-Pacific and a well-balanced portfolio that comprises leading premium house and licensed brands, including Ray-Ban, the best selling sun and prescription eyewear brand in the world. Among others, the Group's brand portfolio includes house brand Vogue, Persol, Arnette and REVO and license brands Bvlgari, Chanel, Donna Karan, Prada and Versace. Luxottica Group's global wholesale network touches 120 countries, with a direct presence in the key 28 eyewear markets worldwide. For fiscal year 2005, Luxottica Group posted consolidated net sales and net income of 4.3 billion Euros and 342.2 million Euros, respectively. Additional information on the Group is available at http://www.luxottica.com/.

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Source: Luxottica Group

CONTACT: Elissa Goldman, Rogers & Cowan, +1-212-445-8447,
egoldman@rogersandcowan.com

Web site: http://www.luxottica.com/

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