Extreme riders don’t care if they get a little dirty. But their sunglasses had better stick around for the ride.

Five different executions for North Vancouver-based eyewear maker Ryders feature headshots of various extreme athletes after they’ve been playing hard and are covered in mud, snow and even blood. No models were used – three of the subjects are Ryders-sponsored athletes, one is Ryders owner Brent Martin and another is a Ryders sales person.

‘This line is performance-based eyewear – it’s for people who will go to any length for their sport,’ says Matthew Clark, principal at Vancouver-based shop Subplot Design.

The campaign is the brand’s first fully integrated effort, and aims to re-establish Ryders, which has been around for about 20 years, as the brand built for performance. The ads will be used in product catalogues and at trade shows to target retailers in hopes of landing the brand more shelf space. Ryders also aims to reach consumers with POS executions, and print ads running in specialty consumer mags like Hooked on the Outdoors and Mountain Bike.

Ryders is already thinking about using this concept for a new fall campaign.

client: Brent Martin, president; Stella Tinglin, brand manager, Ryders Eyewear

CDs: Matthew Clark, Roy White

copywriter: Matthew Clark

ADs: Matthew Clark, Roy White, Steph Gibson

photographer: Waldy Martens