“If you analyse the function of an object, its form often becomes obvious.” Professor Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, founder of Porsche Design, followed this philosophy not only for the design of the Porsche 911, but also for the design of the brand’s first eyewear style 40 years ago. This design philosophy still holds true today in every product from Porsche Design.

In 1978, Porsche Design created a true style icon with the world’s first sunglasses featuring replaceable lenses: the P’8478. For the 40-year anniversary, the exclusive lifestyle brand is presenting the P’8478 in a special “40Y” edition. The recognizable sunglasses feature a matt-black titanium frame with golden highlights on the emblematic bridge and lens holders of the sunglasses. The new style comes in a specially created travel box, four additional interchangeable lenses, and a high-quality case.

For 40 years, sunglasses and corrective eyewear have combined the trendsetting materials and functional design of Porsche Design in extraordinary quality. Designed in close cooperation between the Studio F. A. Porsche in Zell am See/Austria and Rodenstock, the sunglasses bear the DNA of the brand.

The P’8478 sunglasses, with replaceable lens, stand for absolute style and elegant design, coupled with functionality. It is adesign icon, recognized worldwide for its uniqueness. With its unmistakeable lens shape, characteristic nose bridge, and revolutionary lens changing mechanism, the P’8478 is one of the few sunglasses unchanged for 40 years. The P’8478 was adapted to the technical level of the 21st century using ultralight titanium. Moreover, after more than 9 million units sold to date, their longevity and versatility have been proven.

On the 40th anniversary of Porsche Design Eyewear, a special limited edition model of the first style presented by the brand will be offered. With a matte-black frame made of ultralight titanium, grey gradient lenses, and a gold nose-bridge, the pilot spectacles become a true collector’s piece. The limited edition is supplemented with four pairs of interchangeablelenses in blue gradient, brown, olive/silver mirrored, and mercury/silver mirrored. The new model is available in two sizes, with each size limited to only 1,978 pairs worldwide. The P’8478 anniversary edition comes in a useful travel box, making it possible to safely (and stylishly!) transport the frames and their replacement lenses. The “40Y” anniversary package is completed with a high-quality glasses case.

Porsche Design made history in 1978 with the P’8478 sunglasses, revolutionizing the market as the first sunglasses in the world with replaceable lenses. Since then, Porsche Design is considered a forerunner for innovative eyewear design. Besides the P’8478, the P’8480 sunglasses presented in 1980 made a stir with their innovative folding mechanism enabling the aviator frames to completely fold-up in a matter of seconds. The P’8479, another retro-classic, offers a sporty ‘80s look with its shield design. These spectacular sunglasses have inspired world stars such as Yoko Ono, Madonna, and numerousothers since 1979. The extra-large single lens in noble grey is bordered by a titanium frame with fine screws is a bold, yet chic, fashion statement. Other classics and the Iconics of the past 40 years show Porsche Design stands for uniquetrendsetting eyewear with staying power. On the 40th anniversary of Porsche Design Eyewear, another innovative highlight of the Iconics series will be presented in early 2018: the Porsche Design Laser Cut.

The limited edition Porsche Design 40Y P’8478 sunglasses retail for $935 and are available at Porsche Design stores and  www.porsche-design.us as of mid-April.