«Ou ena rayban polarize?» – RayBan slang for sunglasses in Mauritius

Proprietary eponyms are a real headache for brands, like for ours! We most certainly prefer if “Helios” is used to refer to “sunglasses” in our country *wink*.Just like those who use “Kleenex” or even “Ping-Pong”, many Mauritians use “Ray-Ban” as a noun for sunglasses.

What does “proprietary eponym” mean?

A proprietary eponym is when a successful brand name is used commonly to refer to a class of objects instead of its’ correct noun.

Some examples:

  • “Kleenex” – Tissue paper
  • “Ping-Pong” – Table tennis
  • “Chap Stick” – Lip balm
  • “Play-Doh” – Modelling clay
  • “Coke” – Soda
  • “Google” – Search
  • “Legos” – Plastic building blocks
  • “Polaroid” – Instant photos
  • “Vaseline” – Petroleum jelly
  • “Jeep” – Truck

The word “Ray-Ban” in Mauritius?

“Ou ena rayban polarize?” (Literal translation being “Do you have polarized Ray-Bans?”) in the Mauritian Creole slang language means “Do you have polarized sunglasses?”.

Even if in Mauritian Creole the correct term for “sunglasses” is “linet soley” (derivation from the French language “lunettes de soleil”), Mauritians tend to use the trademark name “Ray-Ban” to refer to sunglasses. We are not sure if this slang term is also used in other countries, but it is here!

How did this happen?

We have two theories as to how this may have happened:

    • We believe that “Ray-Ban” sunglasses may have been one of the 1st brands of sunglasses to enter the Mauritian market and we know that it has also had several counterfeit copies on the market. This probably made it the most common sunglass brand present on the market, so the relationship between the brand name and noun was created.
  • When people flaunt off their branded item, they usually exclaim “Have you seen my Nikes?” for example. The second theory is that this must have been the case at some point in time with people exclaiming “How do you find my Ray-Bans?” or “Have you seen my new Ray-Ban?” making sunglasses become linguistically attached to the name “Ray-Ban”.

But we will never really know for sure…

Why is it wrong? (For us at least)

In general, it is never a good thing for any brand to be associated with a competing brand. In the case of proprietary eponyms, it is even worst as your product is being referenced and named after a competitor’s brand name. Helios Eyewear, as a small and local brand Made in Moris (Made in Mauritius), and also the only injected eyewear brand in the Indian ocean; we take pride in our name and our products. We sell high-quality, 100% UV-protected and polarized sunglasses at super affordable prices to compete against high-end brand names like Ray-Ban. So, when our sunglasses get referred to as “Ray-Bans” it breaks our little Mauritian hearts

Conclusion

Take pride in your local products. Support the local artisans that work hard to bring to you the products that would otherwise be made by people in other countries. You may say “What is in a name?” but for us, it is everything to be Helios Eyewear, the brand of sunglasses (linet soley) and optical frames 100% made in Mauritius.

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