For well over ten years, Australian Sailing Team (AST) athletes, coaches and staff members have been wearing Maui Jim sunglasses as they have competed in and won at regattas all over the world. 

The relationship was born when AST head coach Victor Kovalenko OAM contacted Maui Jim citing his personal experience with their polarised lens technology. 

Envisaging the potential performance enhancing benefits for the AST, Kovalenko and Maui Jim came to a commercial agreement in 2011. Kovalenko’s keen eye for perfection and attention to detail matched perfectly with the brand. 

“Maui Jim sunglasses have been a significant tool in our success at the highest level,” Kovalenko said.  

“The best team must use the best eyewear, the eyewear of the future, with sharp vision, advanced design, and the highest protection available,” he went on to say. “Thanks to the benefits of Maui Jim Sunglasses, the Australian Sailing Team have obtained four Olympic Gold and four Olympic Silver medals in London and Rio, as well as eleven World championship titles and many World Cup wins.”

Maui Jim Marketing Director, Nathan Fisher believes the professionalism and dedication of the coaches and staff is key to the undeniable success achieved by the Australian Sailing Team as a whole. 

Maui Jim has been proud to play its part in providing Australian sailors with the best eyewear on the planet.  “Having key members of the AST specifically attributing a portion of their success to the performance benefits of our lenses is a humbling honour,” Fisher said.

Since officially signing with the AST, Maui Jim has supported the team through two highly successful Olympic Game campaigns (London 2012 and Rio 2016) and countless international and national sailing regattas. Aligning Maui Jim with such a high-performance team of athletes, coaches and staff, aids in lifting Maui Jim’s overall consumer awareness and confidence levels. 

“When you have world champions of a sport supporting and relying on your brand, it brings a level of credibility that is unmatched in the industry,” Fisher said. “We are proud to call the Australian Sailing Team an extension of our o’hana (Family in Hawaiian) and look forward to continuing our support for many years to come”. 

The relationship is deep, and the success of Victor and his teams has allowed Maui Jim to showcase their sunglasses to the world. 

Olympic Gold and Silver medallist, Mat Belcher OAM, is a long-time advocate.  “Their glasses increase my ability to see everything going on around me on the water – the wind, sails, boats and water itself – with their advanced polarised technology,” Belcher said. 

“I’ve no doubt the glasses enhance my performance.”

The brand has also evolved from a design perspective offering a broad range of fashionable men’s and women’s eyewear. Today, Maui Jim is the world’s fastest-growing premium eyewear company and is sold in more than 100 countries, with over 175 sunglass styles (600+ unique pairs) and more than 75 optical styles.