76% matchPuma
Motorsport partnerships and retro sport-luxe styling
What changes: Footwear and apparel rather than eyewear
Brand profile
Carrera
Motorsport-rooted eyewear label founded in Austria in 1956, now owned by Italy's Safilo Group and known for bold sunglasses and optical frames.
PaduaOrigin
UnisexFocus
Athleisure / SportswearStyle
$$Price
What to know about Carrera
Motorsport is the origin story
Named after the Carrera Panamericana road race, the line was built for drivers and worn in Formula 1 by Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.
Optyl frames were the breakthrough
Founder Wilhelm Anger patented Optyl, a lightweight frame material, in 1964, and the brand later produced Porsche Design frames.
Now a Safilo house label
The trademark belongs to Safilo Group, which designs and distributes from Padua, leaning on bold acetate aviators, shields and sport wraps at mid-tier prices.
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Brand facts
Carrera makes sunglasses and optical frames rooted in motorsport, taking its name from the Carrera Panamericana road race. Wilhelm Anger founded the brand in Austria in 1956 and patented the lightweight Optyl frame material in 1964; Carrera later produced Porsche Design frames and was worn by Formula 1 drivers including Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The trademark now belongs to Safilo Group, which designs and distributes the line from Padua, Italy, favouring bold acetate aviators, shields and sport wraps.
- Founded
- 1956
- Origin
- Padua, Italy
- Made in
- Italy, Slovenia
- Price
- $$
- Focus
- Unisex
- Facts checked
- September 2026
- Styles
- Athleisure / Sportswear, Streetwear, Y2K