Fifty years from now, what will define iconic design? If Oakley’s latest gambit proves prescient, we’re already wearing the answer. The brand’s new collection, boldly titled Oakley’s Artifacts From The Future, presents itself as eyewear “designed for 2075, delivered to 2025″—a temporal paradox that feels less like marketing hyperbole and more like cultural prophecy when you witness Shubman Gill, India’s cricket prodigy, seamlessly bridging sporting excellence with avant-garde aesthetics.
This isn’t merely about launching another collection; it’s about positioning eyewear as cultural archaeology for an era that hasn’t arrived yet. As Gill steps into his role as Oakley’s newest ambassador for the Indian market, he joins an elite constellation that includes Kylian Mbappé, Jaylen Brown, and Trinity Rodman—athletes whose influence transcends their respective fields to shape contemporary culture itself.
The Anatomy of Tomorrow’s Icons
Understanding what makes Oakley’s Artifacts From The Future compelling requires examining its most ambitious creation: the Plantaris. Described as “a high-wrap piece of future-facing art created to become an artifact in years to come,” the Plantaris represents engineering through natural selection, where creature-inspired aesthetics meet functional precision.
The design philosophy feels deliberately alien yet oddly familiar—its flexible silicone rear stem channels what Oakley describes as “the raw power of a frog mid-leap.” Such biomimetic inspiration signals a maturation in how athletic brands approach aesthetics, moving beyond pure function toward something approaching wearable sculpture.
Complementing this flagship piece are the Lateralis, described as heritage-inspired yet future-ready, and the Masseter—a minimalist interpretation of Oakley’s ’90s and early 2000s innovations. These names themselves—Plantaris, Lateralis, Masseter—read like anatomical poetry, each referring to muscle groups that power human movement. The nomenclature suggests Oakley views its eyewear not as accessories but as extensions of athletic capability.
The Shubman Gill Factor: Cricket Meets Cultural Currency
At just 25 years old, Shubman Gill has become one of the most promising figures in Indian cricket, but his partnership with Oakley represents something more nuanced than traditional sports endorsement. His appointment as the face of the Indian campaign reflects a broader shift in how global brands approach regional markets—not through localisation but through authentic cultural ambassadorship.
“I’m very excited to join Oakley, a brand that stands for performance, progression, and passion—values that resonate strongly with mine,” Gill shared upon announcing the partnership. “Oakley has been an integral part of my cricketing journey every time I took to the field.”
This authenticity matters because cricket occupies a unique cultural position in India—simultaneously traditional and progressive, deeply rooted yet constantly evolving. Gill’s aesthetic sensibilities align with a generation of Indian athletes who refuse the false choice between sporting excellence and style consciousness
Beyond Sport: The SS25 Reserve Collection as Cultural Statement
While the eyewear commands attention, Oakley’s Artifacts From The Future extends into lifestyle territory through the SS25 Reserve Collection. Worn by Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown, this apparel line channels what Oakley terms “a spirit of exploration through multi-pocket design philosophy and bold aesthetic.”
The collection draws from contemporary urban culture while maintaining the technical functionality that defines Oakley’s DNA. It’s designed, according to the brand, “for those who go off-grid and off-script”—a demographic that increasingly includes not just traditional outdoor enthusiasts but creative professionals, cultural innovators, and anyone seeking gear that performs across multiple contexts.
This expansion into lifestyle apparel signals Oakley’s recognition that their audience’s lives don’t compartmentalise neatly between athletic and cultural activities. The Reserve Collection acknowledges this fluidity, offering pieces that transition seamlessly from functional pursuits to cultural spaces.
The Heritage Paradox: Looking Forward While Honoring the Past
Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of Oakley’s Artifacts From The Future lies in its temporal contradiction. How does a brand create future artifacts while maintaining connection to its heritage? Brian Takumi, Oakley’s VP of Brand Soul & Creative, offers insight: “Oakley’s always stood apart—when we introduced the Eye Jacket in the ’90s, it wasn’t just a new shape, it was a new way of thinking about eyewear.”
This perspective reframes the entire collection as evolutionary rather than revolutionary. The high-wrap, dual-lens design that “flipped the script” in the 1990s becomes the foundation for contemporary innovations like the Plantaris. It’s designed as a dialogue between past and future, mediated through the present moment.
The approach feels particularly relevant in an era where nostalgia cycles accelerate while technological advancement continues at an unprecedented pace. Oakley’s solution appears to be designing for permanence—creating pieces intended to remain culturally relevant regardless of shifting trends.
Global Athletes, Local Resonance
The genius of positioning Gill alongside international stars like Mbappé and Brown lies in creating what brand strategists call “glocal” appeal—globally relevant yet locally resonant. Each athlete brings distinct cultural capital: Mbappé’s transcendent football stardom, Brown’s intersection of basketball excellence and social consciousness, and Gill’s embodiment of modern Indian sporting ambition.
Together, they represent a new model of athletic cultural influence—one that acknowledges sport’s role in shaping contemporary aesthetics while refusing to be constrained by traditional sporting contexts. Their collective presence suggests that Oakley’s Artifacts From The Future targets not just athletes but anyone who approaches life with athletic intentionality.
The Future of Functional Fashion
What makes this collection particularly compelling is its timing. As lines between performance wear and lifestyle fashion continue blurring, Oakley positions itself at the intersection of technical innovation and cultural relevance. The brand isn’t simply creating products; it’s curating an aesthetic philosophy that accommodates both functional necessity and expressive desire.
The customisation options—both Lateralis and Masseter will be available through Oakley’s 2025 Custom Program—acknowledge that individual expression matters as much as technical performance. This personalisation capability transforms eyewear from standardised equipment into unique cultural statements.
Looking ahead, Oakley promises the collection will “continue to evolve alongside Oakley’s innovative legacy with new collaborations on the horizon, including exclusive Signature Series from Alexia Putellas and Kylian Mbappé.” These future additions suggest the brand views Artifacts From The Future not as a finite collection but as an ongoing conversation between athletic performance and cultural evolution.
Whether these pieces will indeed become the cultural artifacts Oakley envisions remains to be seen. But their immediate impact—the way they challenge conventional boundaries between sport and style, function and expression—suggests something significant is already taking shape. In Gill’s hands, cricket whites meet futuristic eyewear; in Mbappé’s world, football excellence intersects with fashion-forward thinking. The future, it seems, is already here—we just needed the right lens to see it clearly.