Costa Del Mar (or Costa, as it's often called) has been a trailblazer in eyewear innovation since its beginning in 1983, pushing the category with its 580P polarization technology and first-to-market color-enhancing lenses designed for various fishing scenarios. While these frames fit the bill for all water sports, the brand has built a true community fueled by tech and inspired by its sustainable practices and water conservation efforts — such as the Untangled Collection and Marlin Fly Project.
While Costa prefers to fly under the radar, eschewing splashy marketing campaigns or celebrity endorsements in favor of simply crafting the best product they can make, rocking a pair makes a strong fashion statement you can make. Legacy styles such as the Brine and Jose, then newer additions such as the Taxman, have built micro tribes around the brand that have fully curated their everyday uniform based on their chosen models.
Now, Costa has brought back an incredibly unique and cherished design that’s caught the attention of both anglers and technical fashion heads — the Grand Catalina. The Grand Catalina was first introduced in the 80’s and was adopted by both Los Angeles directors and Catalina Island fishing heads alike for its comfort and stylish look. With a heritage aviator shape, the frames were a staple around Los Angeles. They were the first model in the Costa portfolio to bridge the gap between fishing and fashion fully.
The frames were reintroduced this year to pay homage to the brand's 40-year legacy on the water, now with an updated frame and one of Costa's most recent cutting-edge innovations, the 580G Gold Mirror Lens. Grand Catalina’s updated construction includes the DNA of Costa’s Pathfinder Series: sweat management channels, vented adjustable nose pads, removable side shields and seamless surfacing.
“The response has been unreal. From anglers to lifestyle wearers, old and young, everyone has a story to tell about a previous experience with the design,” says Mike Turner, Costa's global product director.
How did the Costa team rediscover Grand Catalina?
Our team was watching the resurgence of vintage — cars, clothes, etc. — and a lot of iconic Costa designs started popping up. Internal and external friends of the brand started finding them on various channels and the energy around them was so high that we felt confident about bringing them back.
How did the original style come to life back in the late 80’s, and how did it differ from similar styles of the time?
The original Catalina, was launched in the mid ‘80s and was a classic double bridge tear-drop aviator made from acetate. In the early ‘00s, the original design was given added versatility with the addition of leather side shields and became Grand Catalina. Now in 2024, we’ve further modernized it with new materials and technical attributes, but kept the iconic silhouette the same. The version in the ‘80s was part of a double bridge acetate collection referred to as “Cruiser’s,” some other bangers in that collection were Eagle II, Osprey and Nautilus.
How did the Catalina break through from fishing into mainstream culture?
When the original version launched in the late ‘80s the attraction and love for the design was very diverse. It started showing up everywhere, across a bunch of water activities and even into coastal culture. The brand didn’t have to do much to get it out there, the market and consumer base ran with it quickly.
The Grand Catalina sunglasses are available now on the Costa website and are priced at $292 USD.
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