Carlsbad-based sunglasses maker Dragon has been bought out from Oakley Inc. of Foothill Ranch.
The deal comes a few months after Italy’s Luxottica Group SPA acquired Oakley for $2.1 billion. At the time, analysts speculated that Oakley could discontinue or sell off business lines.
Dragon, a maker of sunglasses, goggles and shirts for surfers, snowboarders and motocross riders, bought out Oakley’s controlling stake last week, thanks to the backing of an undisclosed private equity firm, according to published news reports.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.
Oakley, which makes sunglasses, goggles, swimsuits, clothes and shoes for men and women, bought a stake in Dragon in the mid 1990s. The company was founded by Will Howard and Aaron Behle in 1993.
Dragon counts about 60 workers at its Carlsbad headquarters and an additional 10 employees in Australia and France who had worked under Oakley’s wing.
