The Maui Jim Sunglass company began when they started selling sunglasses on the beaches of Maui in Hawaii. The company developed a lens technology called PolarizedPlus, which was created to handle the severe glare and harmful ultraviolet rays of the Hawaiian sun.

Using this PolarizedPlus technology, the company's first line of sunglasses consisted of seven different styles. It was this initial set of seven styles which was the springboard (un, not the surfboard) for this fun and innovative company.

Visitors to the islands of Hawaii discovered when they arrived that their everyday sunglasses, which may have handled the glare of the sun in the northeast part of the United States were no match for the intensity of the island sun. That's where the Hawaiian specialty eyeglass came in: Maui Jim. They were smart enough to acquire a patent on their technology.