When Bajio was created six years ago, the company launched with a dozen styles of sunglasses. Today, there are several dozen, with the Palehorse model as one of the latest to add side shields to the mix of features.
“A lot of our customers were asking for the side shields, and specifically we thought the removable ones to be really cool,” says marketing manager Declan Rogers. “This year, we came out with two new products, both featuring side shields. We have an extra-large named Cocho, and then a large named the Palehorse.”
The idea of the removable side shields, which are also foldable, is that anglers can lock in their gaze on their prey. The style is intended to appeal to all kinds of fishing fans, but especially to those on the Gulf, with the name Palehorse paying homage to the Mexican Gulf Fishing Company fleet.
“It’s just one of those boats where you go down to Venice, Louisiana, and you’re sitting there at the fuel dock, and it pulls up,” Rogers says. “Like, oh, man, that’s a Pale Horse. That’s one of the baddest rigs out here. And those guys have been at it for 20 years.”
A lot of thought goes into adding features like the removable, foldable side shields, Rogers says, because of challenges the company encountered early on with interchangeable temple pieces—a feature they thought customers would love, but that kept popping out. “We go back to the drawing board and say, ‘Hey, how do we make this better?’” Rogers says. “We’re trying to win customers from other companies.”
The Palehorse model also marks an evolution from the types of sunglasses Bajio started out offering for fishing in the flats and shallows. “Our marketing initially was very heavily focused on saltwater fly-fishing, and then we kind of moved into inshore fishing. And we’re slowly making efforts in bass, and this is one of our bigger pushes in the offshore realm, and specifically the Gulf Coast, which is an area that we want to win,” Rogers says.
The Palehorse
Like all Bajio models of sunglasses, the Palehorse can be ordered with different-color frames as well as different-color lenses, giving boaters dozens of possible combinations for a custom look. Features include a sun-blocking hidden Sun Ledge, recessed nose pads, durable barrel hinges and polarized, blue-light-blocking lenses. The designers note that while Palehorse sunglasses are a larger style, they fit most sizes and shapes when it comes to people’s faces.
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