Sunglasses brand Dragon announced Friday it has broken away from parent company Oakley. Dragon founder and CEO Will Howard and general manager Aaron Behle led a group to take the Carlsbad, California, company private.
“We want to thank Scott Olivet and the rest of the Oakley team for their support over the years and during this transition,” Howard says. “In two very different business plans, we collectively saw an opportunity to allow Dragon to break off and do its own thing in the marketplace.”
Howard started Dragon out of his garage in San Clemente more than 13 years ago when he saw an opportunity in the market for new blood. Since then, Dragon has grown into a diverse and global brand with distribution in more than 35 countries.
Dragon has long been a supporter of wakeboarding. Its 10-rider team of professional wakeboarders includes JD Webb, Shawn Watson and Erik Ruck.
For more information on the Dragon brand and its products, visit dragonalliance.com.
