Julbo

Julbo, the history and origins of a leading mountain brand

If we told you that the brand Julbo has been around since 1888, would you believe it? As incredible as it may seem, Julbo has indeed existed for nearly a century and a half, named after its founder, Jules Baud. Based in the heart of the French eyewear valley in Morez, the Jurassian began his optical glasses creation business with a very clear idea in mind: to innovate! It was only a few years later, at the beginning of the 20th century, that at the request of Chamonix crystal workers concerned about protecting their eyes in the mountains, the Julbo solar optics appeared. The first “Cristalliers” glasses marked a turning point for Julbo. Launched into the challenging world of mountains, Julbo has developed its products over the years, becoming increasingly technical. To achieve such a level of technicality, Julbo does not just name its products after well-known peaks (not to mention the Everest, Makalu, or Annapurna models), but tests them by climbing those very peaks, thanks to its technical advisor at the time, Yannick Seigneur. The 1980s were abundant in technical advancements, as Julbo accompanied the performance race of its mountaineer advisors. Himalayas, Mont-Blanc massif: the climbs continued, and the brand was present to support and protect the mountaineers as best as possible. While performance remains the brand's favourite playground, Julbo decided to broaden its expertise to other fields, such as the launch of the Nautic range and the entry of Franck Cammas into the technical team in 1998. Beyond the domain, Julbo also decided to address not only adults but also children: the brand created the baby range to protect the fragile eyes of children. The 2000s marked a new diversification for the brand: Julbo was then on all fronts, allowing its followers to face all environments and elements. Whether accompanying Mike Horn on his expeditions around the world or on the trails and paths of trail and mountain biking, Julbo ventured into outdoor sports and offered products tailored to each discipline. But that was not enough for Julbo. The brand decided to tackle another area: that of eyewear wearers looking for a product that allows them to fully enjoy their sport with the best possible vision. To achieve this, the brand created its RX Trem program, revolutionising the world of sunglasses, which even earned it a Silmo d'Or award. Thus, Julbo promises every eyewear wearer to experience their sport intensely, thanks to the first Julbo sunglasses 100% adapted to each person's vision. And the brand does not stop there. In 2015, Julbo integrated an RX laboratory within the brand itself to further master the process of sports glasses. Thus, the technical lenses are surfaced to the wearer's vision and assembled on the frame, all in-house. This mastery of the process allows Julbo to offer an even higher level of quality, responsiveness, choice, and service to its consumers. With its innovations, know-how, and heritage, Julbo now offers an even more complete range of products, including the famous Julbo ski helmets and ski goggles, true references in the outdoor products market.