President Joe Biden gifts iconic American-made, classic aviators to Vladimir Putin during their first meeting.
What’s special about these sunglasses?
The sunglasses are the classic style are a common sight in the US military. The brand has a contract with the US armed forces that goes back to 1978 to buy around 25,000 pairs every month. Moreover, they also sell pairs to the general US public. The aviators became popular since Tom Cruise’s hit movie Top Gun, in the 1980s. However, the pair gifted to the Russian President gets its name from the famous supersonic aircraft in the 20th century. The matte black pair of polarized glasses sell for $279 on the Randolph official website.
The evergreen Concorde-style glasses take over 200 steps and over six weeks to make. manufactured in a small town in Massachusetts, the company sticks true to its trademark “handcrafted in the USA”. The company is around since 1973.
An evergreen and peaceful token by President Biden
Peter Waszkiewicz, the head of Randolph Engineering claimed he was surprised upon seeing his company’s sunglasses handed as a diplomatic token. “It was a normal business day until about afternoon when the phones started ringing and the social media went abuzz, then we realized what was going on. It is pretty amazing. I mean how often does an opportunity like this happen?” he added. “President Biden, I’m sure, gave those glasses to President Putin as a symbol of our national heritage. And let’s hope it’s the symbol of peace,” he said with pride.