Sunday December 8th, 2013
Collectors Spotlight - December 2013 - Towlee - Towlee
Towlee: Chris Ball
How long have you been a collector of Oakley items?
I started to collect when I got my second pair of sunglasses about 15 years ago.
How did you get into collecting Oakley?
I worked at a bike store and we had a silver double mega. I took responsibility for cleaning it, merchandising it and most importantly stocking it. Unfortunately, I ended up spending my wages before I earned them.
What is the first Oakley item you remember having?
I bought a Zero 0.4 in Planet-X / Blue Iridium in 1992 from Sharrocks Cycles near Chorley, aged 15
What is your biggest Oakley regret? (if any)
Not buying a Medusa and all the Overthetop colourways when I had the chance. The Oakley friends and family store was selling them off cheap back in the day. I remember they had OTT boxes in a gap between the top of the slat wall and the ceiling most of the way around the store. There must have been 50 at least. Like the Medusa, I thought they were so crazy, there was no point in buying them as I would never wear them.
What is your next Oakley purchase likely to be?
A friend of mine has some old Juliets, a Why, an Eye Jacket, an A Wire, and a C Wire that he's willing to part with.
What do you consider the "jewel" of your collection?
That's a tough question to answer. My Personal favourite is probably the "whoisthiskid" Hijinx that was the winning entry of the Oakley Design Brief competition. I think there were about 600 made.
How do you store/display your Oakley collection?
I have a black counter top, two single black Mega towers, one double wide black mega tower, a silver rx tower, electronics tower, silver single, and a medicine cabinet.
Do you have a favorite Oakley retailer?
Freespirit in Manchester's Trafford Centre used to be the kings before they stopped trading. They had 4 double towers and a Ladies tower at one time. They had almost everything. Now days, with the internet so widely used stores like Shade Station and Sunglasses shop have a great offering, good prices and customer service to back it up.
Do you customize?
I customize in that I mix lenses, icons, frames etc. I would love to be able to do what Dr. Chop does. I did make a 'craftsman' style Gascan from an old Ducati Gascan frame.
What other Oakley products do you collect?
I love the promo items that you can't buy. Things such as memory sticks, inflatable hands, pens, keyrings etc.
I have quite a few pairs of shoes, over 10 bags, over 50 T shirts.
What other hobbies/collections/passions do you have?
RC Cars, Fish Keeping, Mountain biking, Snowboarding, motor sports
What advice do you have for new Oakley collectors?
Start small, buy wisely and don't pay over the odds for something. There will be another chance to buy it.
I'd also think about what you want to collect. I have a friend who only collects Holbrook. Its his favourite style, he started collecting it from the beginning and its reasonably easy to collect as they're released. If you decided to collect something old like Zeros or M Frame, that's a different ball game.
What do others think about your Oakley collection?
I'm very sad, and my wife must be very understanding
What's your fondest/most astounding Oakley memory?
Probably my guided tour around Foothill Ranch in 2007.
Any final words?
To all you guys that contribute so much passion and energy to O Review, I thank you.
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