A sunglasses brand born in a UC San Diego graduate studio in La Jolla is coming back to campus with a limited-edition collaboration for Homecoming.
Adam Moyer, Knockaround's founder and chief creative officer, started the San Diego-based eyewear company in the summer of 2005 while preparing to enter UCSD's Visual Arts Master of Fine Arts program. He designed the logo in Photoshop, built a website and ordered his first shipment of sunglasses before his first quarter began, according to a UC San Diego Magazine profile published Sept. 30.
His latest project: a limited-edition pair of Triton Knockaround sunglasses created for UCSD's Homecoming, which runs Nov. 5–8. The glasses commemorate the grand opening of the Triton Alumni and Welcome Center, the campus's first dedicated alumni center. Alumni who visit the center during Homecoming will receive a complimentary pair, according to the UCSD Homecoming website.
Moyer designed every detail, from a gradient of blues across the frame to a trident etched onto the corner of the lens and the words "Together. Tritons. Always." hidden on the inner arm.
The brand name traces to Moyer's childhood outside Washington, D.C. His father kept a pair of old shoes in the garage for mowing the lawn and called them his "knockarounds." Moyer arrived in La Jolla from Northern Virginia in July 2005, drawn to UCSD's Visual Arts faculty, including contemporary artist Kim MacConnel, whose colorful, pattern-driven work influenced the brand's look.
"People thought it was an art project because they knew I was this weird, quirky art student," Moyer told UC San Diego Magazine, recalling how classmates reacted when he sold sunglasses at an open studios event. He sold pairs for $5 in person and $7 online, packing and shipping orders from his campus studio.
MacConnel wandered into that event and bought three pairs on the spot.
Twenty-one years later, Knockaround sells in roughly 4,000 retail locations, including REI and Dick's Sporting Goods. The brand is the official licensed eyewear of the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB and PGA Tour. One popular model, the Premiums Sport Polarized, retails for $38 at REI, according to NBC Select.
In 2022, Moyer stepped back from the CEO role to become chief creative officer, refocusing on product design and marketing. He has since relocated to Virginia to be closer to family but returns to San Diego, where Knockaround is headquartered, several times a year.
The Homecoming block party runs Nov. 6–7 and will feature live entertainment, cultural showcases and alumni-owned businesses. UCSD counts more than 268,000 alumni worldwide. Details are available at homecoming.ucsd.edu.
