Google and Gucci are working on luxury smart glasses
French luxury group Kering is working with Google on smart glasses under the Gucci brand. Market leader Meta could counter with Prada glasses.
Conventional Gucci sunglasses.
(Image: Robert Way/Shutterstock.com)
Smart glasses could soon reach the luxury segment. Kering CEO Luca de Meo said in an interview with Reuters that the company plans to launch Gucci-branded smart glasses with Google next year.
Google has announced its first smart glasses for this year, with eyewear manufacturers Warby Parker and Gentle Monster as partners. Kering was already mentioned when the cooperations were presented a year ago. At the time, it was stated that Google would also work with Kering Eyewear, the eyewear division of the luxury group. This partnership now seems to be materializing.
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With the foray into smart glasses, De Meo wants to expand Kering's eyewear and jewelry division, which currently only accounts for a small portion of total revenue, the CEO told Reuters. The group includes brands such as Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, and Balenciaga. Gucci remains the most important revenue driver but has been weakening for several years.
Smart glasses advance into the luxury segment
The success of smart glasses began in 2023 with the introduction of Ray-Ban Meta glasses. In 2025, market leaders Meta and EssilorLuxottica expanded their portfolio with sporty models such as Oakley Meta HSTN and Oakley Meta Vanguard. The luxury segment could now become the next target, after the partners have sold around ten million smart glasses so far.
EssilorLuxottica is the world's largest eyewear manufacturer, designing, producing, and distributing glasses for luxury companies such as Prada, Chanel, and Versace under license agreements, in addition to its brands. EssilorLuxottica operates around 13,500 optical stores worldwide.
For some time now, there have been rumors that Meta is planning smart glasses under the Prada brand. A recent report by Bloomberg claims that an agreement with Prada could be reached this year. With the move into the luxury segment, EssilorLuxottica could achieve higher margins on its smart glasses. One point that is apparently causing tension between the partners, as Meta is allegedly pushing for the lowest possible prices to achieve widespread adoption as quickly as possible.
This suggests direct competition between Meta's Prada glasses and Google's Gucci glasses. In addition to Google and Meta, Apple is also working on various designs of its own smart glasses, which could be presented this year and go on sale in 2027.
(dmk)
