Jannard was born in Los Angeles but was raised in Alhambra, California, the son of a pharmacist, and graduated from Alhambra High School. Jannard was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jannard attended the USC School of Pharmacy but dropped out to travel the southwestern U.S. on a motorcycle. In 1975, he started a one-man Business selling motorcycle parts out of his car at motocross events. He named his company after his dog, Oakley. He began developing his own products: first, custom handlebar grips that conformed to the shape of one's hand and later motorcycle goggles, ski goggles, and sunglasses. One model of sunglasses was used by bicycle racer Greg LeMond, raising Oakley's profile. In the 1980s, he restricted the sale of Oakley sunglasses to the Sunglass Hut (although small specialty shops could continue to sell Oakley sunglasses). In 1991, his company had 200 employees. In 1995, the company went public.