Strange though it may seem, the arsenal of bullets, torpedoes, and camo strewed throughout the building serves both fashion and philosophy.
The company caters to two disparate audiences: athletes (including the skate/surf/snow constituency that Oakley is increasingly marketing to) and military and law-enforcement agencies with which the company holds enviable eyewear and footwear contracts.
"These are close-knit communities," says Baden (who has been known to douse himself with water in meetings to prove the beading quality of Oakley lenses).
Plus, he continues, "from a design standpoint, a torpedo's a pretty cool thing. Sure we could put Herman Miller couches in the lobby, but it's those B-52 ejector seats that leave the lasting impression."
Image: Head Case -- Over-the-top product testing is part of the culture. This machine challenges the impact strength of lenses: A quarter-inch shot is fired from a pneumatic cannon at over 100 mph. In another impact test, a one-pound spike is dropped more than 4 feet onto a lens. | Photograph: Dwight Eschliman
Also read: An entrepreneur goes for the gold
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