The first louvered sunglasses date from the 1950s. A modernized version was released in the early 1980s. Sometimes referred to as "Venetian blinders", examples were featured in the music videos for "Glittering Prize" by
Simple Minds in 1982 and
"Obsession" by
Animotion in 1984. They were also popularized by professional wrestler
Macho Man Randy Savage, which he wore before many of his matches, as well as in his promos.
Alain Mikli made a contemporary custom design for
Kanye West, again influenced by the
fashion of the 1980s. West popularized Mikli's design in the
music video for "
Stronger." In 2007, Shutter Shades, Inc. released a design, which they also patented, and trademarked the term "Shutter Shades" with the
USPTO. However, in 2015 a court in
New York ruled that "shutter shades" had become a
generic term at least since 2009. ==References==