Do you know Luxottica? no? then Welcome to the world of sunglasses! One group owns Ray-Ban, Oakley, Persol and other top brands as Channel, Prada, Oliver Peoples, Dolce & Gabbana etc...
Luxottica is responsible for the magnificent turnaround of brand like Ray-Ban; In 1990 Luxottica bought Ray-Ban, a brand that was priced at $29.99 at gas stations, they took them off the market for some years and re-launch it! now they are not priced at $ 29.99 anymore! and I bet you can not find them at gas stations!
How did they do it? they took advantage of the pilot design connection with the consumers and leverage on that external perception. Now the Brand has evolve into other categories. Although, their pilot connection is sublet still there - just take a look at the design of their campaign NEVER HIDE. http://www.ray-ban.com/usa/never-hide-stories