Meta's smart glasses legion expands, with Oakley and Prada joining the fray

Meta is extending its reach from the mass market to more vertical fields, with plans to launch AI smart glasses under the Oakley and Prada brands through a deepened collaboration with luxury giant EssilorLuxottica.

On June 17, media reports indicated that Meta plans to launch AI smart glasses under the Oakley and Prada brands in collaboration with EssilorLuxottica. This is not merely a simple replication of the existing success of Ray-Ban glasses, but a carefully planned strategic expansion aimed at seizing every key consumer mindset from sports to high-end fashion before competitors like Google and Snap truly enter the market.

Due to stronger weather resistance, the Oakley version of the smart glasses is expected to be priced around $360, higher than its Ray-Ban counterparts. Its technological core will be similar to the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses released in 2023.

Meanwhile, the collaboration with Prada marks Meta's first foray into wearable hardware with a top fashion brand. This partnership comes after Prada renewed a ten-year eyewear licensing agreement with EssilorLuxottica last December. Reports cite former Meta employees noting that the iconic thick temple design of Prada glasses provides a natural physical space to accommodate components like microphones and chips needed for smart glasses, which may be the hidden logic behind the collaboration. The release date for the Prada collaboration products is currently unclear.

More than just toys: The success of Ray-Ban and a $5 billion bet

This Monday, Meta previewed the release of the Oakley version through social media, launching the "Oakley | Meta" account on Instagram, with the profile description stating, "The next evolution arrives on June 20."

Media reports indicate that the target audience is clearly defined as athletes. After observing a significant number of Ray-Ban smart glasses users wearing their products for activities like tennis and skiing, Meta decided to launch a version specifically designed for "active consumers."

Meta's bold expansion is backed by the "unexpected" success of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.

Meta's collaboration with Luxottica began in 2019 to jointly develop Ray-Ban glasses. Since the release of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses in 2023, this device, equipped with the Meta AI voice assistant and capable of interacting with smartphones for landmark recognition, voice messaging, and other functions, has quickly opened up the market.

EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri confirmed in February this year that since 2023, the two parties have sold 2 million pairs of Meta Ray-Ban glasses He ambitiously plans to increase the annual production to 10 million units by the end of 2026.

In addition, according to media reports, the cooperation extension agreement between Meta and Luxottica announced last October is valued at $5 billion. As part of the agreement, Meta obtained exclusive rights to use the Luxottica brand in smart glasses technology for many years.

Competitors Intensify Entry

Meta's accelerated progress comes at a time when competition in the smart glasses market is heating up sharply. Tech giants are gearing up to grab a share of this emerging track.

Reports indicate that last month, Alphabet (Google's parent company) announced a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker to jointly develop smart glasses integrated with the Google Gemini AI assistant, which are planned to be released after 2025.

On the other hand, social media rival Snap also announced in June that it plans to release its sixth-generation smart glasses in 2026, under the new brand "Specs". It is said that the new product will integrate augmented reality (AR) technology and will be smaller and lighter than previous models.

Analysts say that in the face of the impending fierce competition, Meta has clearly chosen a "preemptive" strategy, leveraging its deep ties with the world's largest eyewear manufacturer EssilorLuxottica to quickly expand its product line to iconic brands at different price points and styles, attempting to establish an insurmountable brand matrix