Wearing stylish-looking aviators are great when you want to look good this summer. If you’re going out running, though, those things will probably fall off your face as soon as you hit anything approaching a brisk pace. That’s why we use eyewear that wraps around our face if we want to take a lap. If you still want to hit the road with Top Gun sunglasses protecting your eyes from the sun, though, you might want to check out the Maho Sundance.
An erstwhile traditional-looking pair of aviators, the sunglasses let you rock the classic Top Gun look, so you can pretend that you’re Tom Cruise on a warm, sunny morning, getting your laps in before you fly fighter jets later in the day. Unlike traditional aviators that will likely fall off at some point during the run, the darn thing is designed to hold its place, so it will stay in your face from your first stride down to the last.
The Maho Sundance uses an element called Zuma, a fit and retention system that’s responsible for keeping it on your face the whole way through. This basically consists of a proprietary thermoplastic elastomer that’s wrapped around the nose pads and temple tips, which sticks to your skin, no matter how sweaty or dirty you get. We’re guessing it’s similar to the reusable micro-suction materials out there that are increasingly replacing single-use adhesive backings in different products, such as in this wallet, which uses the material to stick to your phone.
In this case, the material affixes the sunglasses to your nose bridge and the back of your head behind the ears, allowing you to run, jump, and even pick up that water bottle you dropped without the eyewear falling off or sliding out of place. Like other similar micro-suction products out there, we imagine you’ll have to clean this regularly to ensure it retains its maximum adhesive power at all times, which you’ll probably have to do with more frequency here, since you’re literally sweating and getting dust on this every time you run outside..
The Maho Sundance uses a handmade frame made from Zyl acetate, a material derived from wood pulp and natural cotton fibers, which makes it more sustainable than the usual plastic frames you’ll find out there. According to the outfit, it also won’t peel or fade the way plastic frames do, as the acetate’s hue is ingrained in the material, rather than printed or sprayed. It pairs the frame with Ultramarine lenses made from trivex, a tough, ultra-clear, and scratch-resistant material that, they claim, works way better than glass (which shatters), CR39 (also shatters), and plastic (which has poor clarity). The lenses are polarized to eliminate 99 percent of glare and eliminate 100 percetn of UVA/UVB radiation, as well as coated with an anti-reflective and water-repellent layer. Suffice to say, you won’t want to remove it during your run.
The Maho Sundance is available in four styles: Tokyo, Marble, Kittyhawk, and Slate. Price is $170.