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Whether you’re trying to hide the evidence of a big Saturday night or simply looking to add some style to a plain white tee and jeans, a good pair of sunnies is the easiest fashion upgrade you can make. However, as with all men’s accessories, not all sunnies are created equal. The pair you pick up from the servo will not look as good or last as long as a pair of well-crafted high-end men’s sunglasses. So, here’s our pick of the best sunglasses to get your eyewear set for summer.
Best High-End Men’s Sunglasses at a Glance
- Best Overall: Ray-Ban
- Best Luxury Statement: Jacques Marie Mage
- Best for Understated Luxury: Oliver Peoples
- Best High-Fashion: Prada
- Best for Sports & Performance: Oakley
- Best Australian Brand: Epokhe
Now that you’ve seen our favourites, here’s the complete list:
The Best High-End Men’s Sunglasses Brands
1. Ray-Ban Sunglasses
No brand says cultural immortality quite like Ray-Ban. Created in 1937 out of a functional need to protect US Air Force pilots’ eyes from high-altitude glare, the brand effectively invented the template for modern cool.
Whether it was Tom Cruise in a pair of Aviators sprinting across a runway in Top Gun or James Dean rocking Wayfarers in Rebel Without a Cause, Ray-Ban has spent a good chunk of its history proving itself the default sunglasses for Hollywood swagger.
Brands do indeed come and go from the cultural conversation, but what’s kept Ray-Ban relevant isn’t nostalgia, but a commitment to quality sunglasses that are incredibly versatile. From the beach to an outdoor wedding, Ray-Bans pair easily with any outfit.
- Key Styles: Wayfarer, Aviator, Clubmaster, Round Metal.
- Standout Specs & Features: G-15 crystal glass lenses offering great colour clarity, bio-based acetate options, and light metal alloy frames.
- Price Point: $200 – $450
2. Prada Sunglasses
Yes, the devil does wear Prada, but so do ultra-stylish men. Under Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, the brand has turned its eyewear line into a go-to for bold, geometric frames that stand out without needing massive gaudy logos.
The best Prada sunglasses lean heavily into thick acetates, clean angles, and chunky profiles that are sturdy and impeccably well-made. The Prada Symbole range in particular has become a huge favourite if you’re looking for a boxier, modern shape that instantly elevates a simple fit.
- Key Styles: Prada Symbole, Linea Rossa, Geometric Rectangular.
- Standout Specs & Features: Heavy-duty bevelled Italian acetates, polyamide lenses with anti-reflective coatings, and durable five-barrel hinges.
- Price Point: $450 – $750
3. Oakley Sunglasses
For a very long time, Oakley sunglasses were strictly the domain of professional cyclists, dad-golfers, and cricket players lurking in the slip cordon. Then the fashion world did what it oftentimes does, and rebranded the hyper-functional aesthetic as “gorpcore,” making technical sportswear the coolest thing you could wear.
Built in California, these frames are engineered to survive high-impact hits, making them as tough as they are cool. Shapes like the Eye Jacket Redux and the massive Sutro shield are perfect examples of a mix between elite athletics and high-street fashion, proving you can wear the same pair while running a half-marathon or drinking a negroni on a rooftop.
- Key Styles: Holbrook, Sutro, Eye Jacket Redux, Frogskins.
- Standout Specs & Features: Prizm Lens Technology that fine-tunes colour and contrast, lightweight O-Matter frames, and Unobtainium grip pads that stay in place when you sweat.
- Price Point: $220 – $500+ (more for their Meta range)
4. Jacques Marie Mage Sunglasses
If you want to talk about true, uncompromising high-end men’s sunglasses, you talk about Jacques Marie Mage. Operating out of Los Angeles and handcrafting every single frame in Japan in strictly limited runs, JMM operates on a model of extreme scarcity.
They are famous for using absurdly thick 10mm block acetates, custom precious-metal hardware like sterling silver or 18k gold rivets, and historical design references that span from Napoleon Bonaparte to Johnny Cash. This is as exclusive as it gets when it comes to men’s luxury sunglasses, so if you’re looking for an accessory that’ll set you apart from your mates, this would be the one.
- Key Styles: Torino Ti, Dealan, Zephirin, Taos, Enzo.
- Standout Specs & Features: 10mm plant-based Japanese acetate, custom spur-shaped rivets in precious metals, tension-secured custom hinges, and anti-reflective mineral glass lenses.
- Price Point: $1,500 – $4,000+
5. Persol Sunglasses
Persol achieved legendary status when Steve McQueen rocked up to the set of The Thomas Crown Affair wearing a pair of folding 714s with custom blue lenses, an image that single-handedly sold millions of frames and cemented the subtle silver arrow hinge as one of the ultimate flexes in men’s accessories.
Plus, their patented Meflecto stem system was the world’s first flexible stem designed to eliminate pressure on the side of your head, meaning their crystal-tempered glass lenses sit on your face with total comfort.
- Key Styles: 649 Series, 714 Folding, PO3019S.
- Standout Specs & Features: Meflecto flexible stem system, crystal-tempered glass lenses, and handcrafted Italian acetate construction.
- Price Point: $380 – $650
6. Oliver Peoples Sunglasses
Born on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood in 1987, Oliver Peoples took a hard left turn away from the neon branding of the era, choosing instead to focus on retro vintage shapes and subtle detailing.
Oliver Peoples sunglasses take a “less is more” and “stealth wealth” approach, with delicate filigree engraving running along thin wire cores and custom-tinted glass lenses. If you want to look like a cool creative director who spends his weekends reading paperbacks and drinking natural wine, Oliver Peoples is your label.
- Key Styles: Gregory Peck Sun, O’Malley, Cary Grant, Finley Vintage.
- Standout Specs & Features: Hand-carved core wire with custom filigree, custom-tinted glass lenses, and bio-acetate frames sourced from exclusive Italian mills.
- Price Point: $500 – $850
7. Moscot Sunglasses
Moscot brings a different energy to this list of premium men’s sunglasses, carrying over a century of downtown New York City heritage straight out of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Founded in 1915 by Hyman Moscot, this family-owned institution has outfitted everyone from Allen Ginsberg and Truman Capote to Johnny Depp and Paul Rudd.
Moscot’s aesthetic is downtown grit meets classic Americana, producing chunky, timeless frames built with real-rivet construction that should, in theory, last a lifetime. Their iconic Lemtosh shape is arguably one of the most recognisable eyewear shapes in modern history.
- Key Styles: Lemtosh, Miltzen, Nebb, Dahven.
- Standout Specs & Features: Rivet construction, hand-crafted acetate, combination titanium metalwork, and flexible paddle temples.
- Price Point: $450 – $650
8. Epokhe Sunglasses
It’d be remiss of us not to include Epokhe sunglasses, a homegrown label out of Byron Bay founded by professional surfers Dion Agius and Kai Neville alongside designer Mitch Crews. Born out of a desire to create high-fashion sunglasses that could survive a lawless coastal lifestyle, Epokhe is an ultra-cool mix of vintage cinema and industrial design. Their frames are dark and heavy, offering a kind of raw, rock-and-roll alternative to traditional European luxury fashion houses.
- Key Styles: Candy, Ostra, Guilty, Zero.
- Standout Specs & Features: Premium handmade cellulose acetate, 100% UV protection optical-grade lenses, and custom-engineered 7-barrel hinges (on select models), designed for maximum frame stability.
- Price Point: $220 – $380
9. Cutler and Gross Sunglasses
Founded in London’s Knightsbridge in 1969 by Graham Cutler and Tony Gross, this British brand essentially invented bespoke designer sunglasses. Every single pair is handcrafted in their factory in Cadore, Italy, taking up to four weeks and 42 separate hand-guided steps to complete. The result is a lineup of bold, thick-rimmed frames that, even to the uninitiated eye, look undeniably sleek.
- Key Styles: 1386 Square, 0822 Aviator, 1392 Oval.
- Standout Specs & Features: Raw-cut 9mm acetates, custom hinges, and anti-reflective mineral lenses.
- Price Point: $600 – $950
How to Choose the Right High-End Sunglasses for Your Face
When investing in a pair of high-end sunglasses, you want to make sure you’re investing not only in quality, but in what suits your face.
The Face Shape Rules
The general idea is to look for contrast rather than matching your exact features:
- Round Face: Sharp, square, or rectangular sunnies help add a bit of definition to softer features.
- Square Face: Curved frames, rounder shapes, or classic aviators soften up a strong jawline.
- Oval Face: You pretty much won the genetic lottery. You can pull off almost any shape.
These are just rough guidelines to give you a starting point. Everyone’s nose bridge, cheekbones, and head size are completely different. The only real way to know if a pair works on your face is to walk into a store, put them on, and look in the mirror.
Focus on the Glass
Make sure you’re paying for optical quality instead of just a designer logo printed on cheap plastic:
- Glass vs. Polycarbonate: Real mineral glass gives you the clearest vision and won’t scratch easily. Polycarbonate is lighter, shatterproof, and better if you’re moving around or playing sports.
- Polarised Lenses: If you spend your weekends driving or down at the beach, get polarised sunglasses. It helps cuts out the blinding glare bouncing off the water and road that basic dark tints don’t.
Frame Materials
Most cheap sunnies are basic injection-moulded plastic (usually polycarbonate or nylon). It’s cheap to manufacture, brittle, and dyed only on the surface, which is why it snaps easily and fades over time.
However, almost every single pair on this list is made from either Cellulose Acetate or Titanium:
- Cellulose Acetate: Good acetate is carved from solid blocks, polished by hand, and fitted with metal wire inside the arms. That means an optician can heat them up and custom-bend them so they sit flush and don’t slide off your nose.
- Titanium: Light, tough as nails, and hypoallergenic. Great if you hate heavy frames leaving deep red marks on your nose bridge all day.
How We Chose This List
Every brand on this list was selected because it brings true optical performance and manufacturing quality to the table. We deliberately weighted this list toward labels using high-grade materials like plant-based cellulose acetate, Japanese titanium, and crystal glass lenses that can survive the Australian sun.
For each label, we reviewed current collections across their own stores and stockists, weighing four main factors: structural build quality (hinges, hardware, and raw acetates), lens clarity and protection, price, and how easy they are to pick up locally.
The price bands and specs were verified in September 2026. While our team hasn’t worn every single frame on this list, this roundup reflects the best evidence and hands-on experience we had at the time of writing, and we update it regularly as brands change their range or launch new collections.
Ally Burnie is Man of Many’s resident Melbourne writer, covering style, food and drink, and the city’s op-shop and vintage scene. This list was reviewed and edited by the Man of Many editorial team before publishing.
High-End Men’s Sunglasses Brand Comparison
| Brand | Origin | Key Feature (Select Models) | Price Range (AUD) |
| Ray-Ban | USA / Italy | G-15 Glass Lenses | $200 – $450 |
| Prada | Italy | Bold Geometric Shapes | $450 – $750 |
| Oakley | USA | Prizm Lens Technology | $220 – $500+ |
| Jacques Marie Mage | USA / Japan | 10mm Acetate & Precious Metal Hardware | $1,500 – $2,300+ |
| Persol | Italy | Meflecto Flexible Stems | $380 – $650 |
| Oliver Peoples | USA | Custom Filigree Cores | $500 – $850 |
| Moscot | USA | Real-Rivet Construction | $450 – $650 |
| Epokhe | Australia | Custom 7-Barrel Steel Hinges | $220 – $380 |
| Cutler and Gross | UK / Italy | Hand-Polished 42-Step Finish | $600 – $950 |
FAQs
They’re worth it if you want your sunnies to last you. High-end frames use multi-barrel metal hinges, real rivet construction, and optical-grade lenses that won’t distort your vision or warp over time, whereas the ones you might pick up at a servo or a cheaper pair usually use injection-moulded plastic that snaps the second you sit on them.
While you don’t strictly need them, polarised lenses cut down horizontal glare bouncing off water, wet roads, and car bonnets, making them almost essential for the harsh Australian sun. The only minor downside is that they can occasionally create a subtle rainbow effect on certain digital dashboard screens or smartphone displays, but for eye comfort outdoors, they are hard to beat.
Ah, the age-old battle of the sliding glasses. Sliding happens when the frame arms stretch out, or the nose bridge isn’t fitted well to your face. Because high-end acetate and metal frames are built with internal wire cores, you can simply take them to any local optician, where they will use a warm air blower to gently heat the temples and bend the tips down behind your ears for a snug, custom fit.
Well, first of all, stop using the bottom of your T-shirt or paper towels, because the microfibres and rough wood pulp will leave tiny hairline scratches across the lens coatings over time. Run the frames under lukewarm tap water with a tiny drop of mild dish soap to break down skin oils and sunscreen, then dry them off using a clean microfiber cloth.
More men’s style articles:
- Best Australian Menswear Brands
- 10 Best Blouson Jackets for Men: The Most Underrated Office Workwear Layer
- The New Rules of Office Dressing (for Men Who Work Everywhere and Nowhere)
- How to Build a Capsule Wardrobe: 10 Pieces Every Man Needs
- The Best Men’s Chinos for Work and Weekend
- How to Wear Colour: A Beginner’s Guide
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