Meta and eyewear conglomerate EssilorLuxottica plan to work together on smart glasses “into the next decade.” The two announced a long-term agreement today to extend a partnership that started in 2019 and has yielded two generations of Ray-Ban smart glasses.
The collaboration has helped Meta make smart glasses that stand out for their style
So far, the collaboration has helped Meta make smart glasses that stand out for their style. It looks like Meta wants to keep that trend going with its next generations of frames. Aside from Ray-Ban, EssilorLuxottica also owns Oakley and has licensing agreements with luxury brands, including Versace, Prada, Chanel, and others.
“I’m excited about our long term roadmap ahead. We have the opportunity to turn glasses into the next major technology platform, and make it fashionable in the process,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a press release.
More so than any other kind of gadgets, smart glasses have to look stylish. Humanity is vain. If eyes are the windows to the soul — of course, you want your glasses to be a fetching pair of curtains. Ray Ban is great for that because it’s an iconic fashion brand, and Wayfarers are about as close to a universally flattering frame as you can get. If you don’t look good in them, you’re not going to wear them.
Snap is expected to reveal the fifth generation of its Spectacles today during a summit in Los Angeles. Meta will likely also show off its new AR glasses at a conference in Menlo Park, California, next week, according to The Verge’s Alex Heath.
