O Private Collection

The Medusa is one of the most iconic and wild designs Oakley has released in its 50-year history. It was officially released in 2002 for a retail price of $500 for the helmet and $250 for the goggles. The Medusa is made of dark brown leather with pale/pastel stitching. Leather tubes resembling hairs or snakes are stitched to the helmet, hence the name inspired by the snake-haired Medusa from Greek mythology. It was available in two sizes: Small/Medium and large/extra-large, and it was available for purchase until 2008.

Nowadays, it's one of the most desired and sought-after items by Oakley collectors worldwide. You probably won't see anyone wearing it on the streets unless you are at raves and festivals in Brazil, where this item became the signature of Brazilian Oakley enthusiasts.

Jim Jannard was an enthusiast for drag racing. In 1999, he decided that Oakley would sponsor Scotty Cannon, six-time IHRA Pro Modified champion, on his debut at NHRA. The Medusa appeared as a prototype during that same time and was inspired by the skull caps used by pilots during World War I. The first version of the Medusa had goggles integrated into the helmet, and there are pics of Jim and Scotty wearing this first Medusa version at some NHRA events.

The official release was made of leather, and there are three variations, the main differences regarding the number of hairs/dreads and their positions. I will show the differences in another post.

#oakley #50years #Medusa