S MITHFIELD, R.I. ― Matthew Coon was sitting in his massive design studio in the Foster Grant office in Times Square when the call came: Catherine Martin, the Oscar-winning costume designer, wanted to work with the company on a new film. But not just any film. The project, to be directed by Martin’s husband Baz Luhrmann, was a biopic of the King of Rock & Roll: Elvis Presley, the man who helped make Foster Grant sunglasses a fashion staple in the 1970s, thank you very much.

The film “Elvis,” now in theaters, had an $85 million budget and focuses on the life and legacy of the legend, played by Austin Butler. And Martin wanted Coon to create exact replicas of the sunglasses Elvis wore — approximately 20 different styles, custom-fitted for the actors and engineered to work well on the big screen.

“We needed things that you wouldn’t normally find in sunglasses, like how the light would transmit through the lenses when you’re filming. [The actors] were wearing these sunglasses and you’d still want to have eye contact,” said Coon, Foster Grant’s senior vice president of design and development, who travels between Foster Grant’s offices in Smithfield and New York City.

The most interesting pair, he said, have thick, rounded frames that look identical to the ones Presley himself wore, with his initials, “EP” on the bridge and “TCB” — Taking Care of Business” — on the side with a lightning bolt, a logo that Presley supposedly designed with his wife, Priscilla, and a jeweler. He featured the logo on jewelry, merchandise, and even the tail of his private jet.

“Taking Care of Business” was one of Presley’s favorite catchphrases. According to a memoir written by Presley’s former bodyguard and close confidant, Sonny West, the phrase was “code in the inner circle” to drop whatever subject they were discussing. The lightning bolt stood for “in a flash” — the King wanted things done instantly, as soon as he asked for them.

“We recreated that whole logo that he used for that. That was interesting, even for me,” said Coon. “I did not know that part of the story. It was a very, very cool process.”

They pored over pictures and Foster Grant sample archives in their offices, finding (and using) nose pieces that Foster Grant doesn’t use on current designs. The recreated lenses from the era, when the glasses were flat instead of curved, so the ones in the film have an authentic-to-the-time-period flair.

Coon said he has never worked on a project with this level of detail before.

“They had a vision and they were so specific to that vision. It was really crucial to get every level of detail right,” said Coon. “It’s like you had to reverse engineer it so it wasn’t too advanced looking. The actors were really transported back to that period of time.”

According to Denna Singleton, senior vice president of global marketing and portfolio transformation for Foster Grant, it was on brand for the company to return to its historical roots for the “Elvis” project.

In the 1920s, Sam Foster and Bill Grant were at a crossroads.

The hair accessories they handmade for women using plastic injection molding had started off strong when they began selling in 1919. But sales drooped in the mid-1920s, when it became fashionable for women to have short hair.

So Foster and Grant turned to another idea: sunglasses.

It was 1929, on the heels of a stock market crash that would turn America on its belly. But inside a department store called Woolworth’s — right on the iconic boardwalk in Atlantic City — Foster Grant started selling their new item: darkened lenses meant to block the sun from your eyes, held in place by clunky, yet fashionable frames. They were just 10 cents each.

Sam Foster’s son, Joe, eventually took over the business. By the time the gilded age of Hollywood arrived in the mid-1960s, fans were clamoring for the stylish accessories worn by their favorite stars. And Foster Grant catapulted quickly became a household name with their iconic advertising campaign, “Who’s That Behind Those Foster Grants?” featuring Hollywood stars like Jane Fonda, Woody Allen, and Peter Sellers, among many others. Advertising Age named the campaign one of the Top 100 Ad Campaigns of all time.

When Joe Foster died in 1971, his successor scrapped the ads. Andlinger & Co., a private investment firm, purchased Foster Grant in the mid-1980s. Debt rose and sales fell. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and, five months later, Foster Grant’s assets were sold to Bonneau Co. for $9 million.

The iconic ads were revived in 1990, with supermodel Cindy Crawford as their spokesperson. And now, American’s oldest sunglass brand is back on top, selling more sunglasses than any other brand in the United States.

As the company approaches its 100th anniversary, Foster Grant is starting a new trend: including everyday Americans in their marketing. Their new campaign, Love Your Vision, features sunglasses and reading glasses, both of which are developed in Smithfield. It’s no longer a matter of mimicking your fashion idol; the new campaign focuses on authenticity, inclusion, experimenting with your passions, and not being afraid to be you or to recreate yourself. Their glasses can be found for about $30 in retail pharmacies and online.

“This company really created this industry of very affordable, yet stylish glasses that anyone from a celebrity to your everyday person could [purchase and] wear,” said Singleton. “Yes, the company and society have evolved, but that’s still always our mission.”

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.

Work at Boston Globe Media