Peter Yee is an industrial designer best known for shaping Oakley’s bold aesthetic from 1993 to 2018. As Oakley’s first formally trained designer and later Vice President of Design, he helped create iconic pieces like the Eye Jacket, Overthetop, and the “O” logo. With over 100 design and utility patents, Yee’s work bridged performance, futurism, and style. Today, he continues innovating through his own design firm PYD.
Connect with Peter Yee!
https://www.instagram.com/peteryeedesign
CHAPTERS:
0:00 – Introduction
1:11 – Meet Peter Yee
2:06 – Peter shares his life after Oakley and starting his design consultancy
9:05 – How Peter’s name still carries weight in the design world
11:52 – How design patents and royalties work at Oakley
14:10 – Designing with budgets vs. blank-check creativity at Oakley
16:50 – Did Yeezy master scalable yet unique design?
18:51 – Where does Oakley sit in the market compared to Rolex and Patek?
21:57 – Why eyewear has such high profit margins
24:50 – The iconic Oakley frames that Michael Jordan wore
26:31 – The prescription frame Peter is wearing
30:40 – Advice on finding the right eyewear shape and avoiding counterfeits
33:44 – Peter’s design process and finding inspiration outside of eyewear
36:36 – Examples of cross-industry inspiration in Peter’s designs
37:42 – Peter’s thoughts on AI as a design tool
38:51 – Has any eyewear in the last decade impressed Peter?
40:01 – Peter shares a unique product he owns: the Nixie clock
43:53 – How much of Peter’s collection comes from small creators vs. big brands
45:47 – If Peter designed a pocket knife, how he would ensure quality manufacturing
49:34 – Peter shares his Oakley Time Bomb 2 prototype watch
52:37 – Why Peter started sharing Oakley designs on Instagram
57:16 – The story behind Oakley’s flames logo and hockey jerseys
58:53 – Designs Peter created outside of Oakley
1:00:17 – The naming of Oakley products like Eye Jacket, Romeo & Juliet
1:01:43 – Who is Jim Jannard? The visionary founder of Oakley
1:02:42 – Oakley’s acquisition by Luxottica
1:04:34 – Different fonts Peter uses in his designs
1:06:10 – Peter reveals he designed Oakley’s “O” logo
1:10:26 – The iconic watches Oakley made
1:12:14 – The timeless pieces Peter created for Oakley
1:13:12 – Peter’s approach to fashion as he grows older
1:16:26 – Branding and association: Oakley and The Matrix connection
1:18:11 – How Oakley products appeared in X-Men and Mission Impossible II
1:19:09 – Did Oakley pay for product placements in movies or projects?
1:21:20 – Eyewear designs Peter created for Oakley
1:23:16 – How Peter impacted the Oakley brand as a designer
1:26:45 – The Oakley flames and metallic wave aesthetic
1:30:00 – Peter’s social media consumption habits
1:35:48 – How Peter figured out pricing, retainers, and clients for his consultancy
1:40:06 – Peter’s main focus over the past 6 months
1:41:47 – Peter’s favorite car model and design
1:43:38 – How Peter stays young and fit at 57 years old
1:44:37 – Peter’s approach to his children’s taste in fashion
1:46:19 – Editing his own Instagram videos and thumbnails
1:51:21 – Did Peter ever cross paths with Steve Jobs or Jony Ive in California?
1:53:53 – Peter talks about his friend who worked on key YouTube features
1:55:02 – Before Instagram, how design or fashion students would have known about Peter
1:59:28 – What changed in Peter’s work after seeing a motivational Instagram quote
2:00:28 – Is Peter working on one main project or several across industries?
2:01:52 – Peter reviews Andy’s thrifted sunglasses and watch
2:09:33 – Peter gives feedback on Andy’s daily optical glasses
2:11:50 – The sunglasses Peter wears every day
2:13:37 – Do Peter’s children wear eyewear he designed?
2:14:58 – Peter’s recent life discoveries
2:17:16 – Peter’s calisthenics training routine
2:22:03 – Why Peter has no ambition for Ironman or marathon competitions
2:22:55 – Peter’s personal goal for the next 6 months
2:24:28 – Connect with Peter
2:25:02 – Outro
