Will Mark Zuckerberg create a pair of glasses for Prada? The Meta and EssilorLuxottica collab will extend to several of the group's brands

The NFTs are dead, the metaverse has been forgotten, and cryptocurrencies are now loser stuff (as proven by Elon Musk and Donald Trump). Yet, among the ruins of the early 2020s “tech craze,” there’s one product category that, against all odds, not only survived but found new life: smart glasses. No one would have bet on them, yet after the unexpected success of the collaboration between Meta and Ray-Ban, these devices have found a perfect audience among tech enthusiasts and the fashion world. A collaboration that seems destined to grow further within fashion. According to a report by CNBC yesterday, Meta is preparing to continue its collaboration with EssilorLuxottica, expanding into Oakley and Prada. If the Ray-Ban project had the vibe of a successful experiment, familiar-looking glasses equipped with a voice assistant and integrated camera, the upcoming launch at the end of the month of a new Oakley-branded line now targets a more active and sporty audience. But the real news is the possibility of a Prada or Miu Miu smart glasses line, entering a market still largely unexplored by major fashion houses, yet potentially highly lucrative. As noted by some former Meta employees, the union between Meta and Miuccia Prada’s brand could be nearly perfect: the structure of Prada glasses, with their thick temples, would provide the ideal space to house microphones, chips, and other essential components without compromising the design.

The bond between tech and fashion has reignited over the past year, especially in the smart glasses segment. A space that, after years of clumsy attempts and questionable design, is finally finding a contemporary aesthetic and practical function. Just last month, Google announced its partnership with Gentle Monster, a cult Korean brand and eyewear pioneer, to develop a new model of smart glasses. But this isn’t an isolated initiative: it’s just the first piece of a much broader strategy. In fact, according to official statements, Google’s goal is to create glasses that can be worn all day long, not just for tech purposes, but out of genuine aesthetic desire. In this spirit, the company has launched a series of collaborations with brands that interpret eyewear through a lifestyle lens, such as Warby Parker and, in the future, Kering Eyewear. With all this movement, it feels like smart glasses are experiencing a second life, one that's far more concrete and desirable. Still, the issue of accessibility remains: the Ray-Ban collab had a pair of classic Wayfarers listed on the brand’s official website for no less than €350. A steep increase compared to the “normal” version, which is often sold for under €100 by the brand’s traditional retailers. If that was the markup for Ray-Ban, one can only expect an even higher price for Prada’s smart glasses, considering the Italian brand’s eyewear often starts at well over €300. In the end, this tech revolution isn’t all that democratic after all.