MILAN — In a major new development for Kering Eyewear, the company revealed on Tuesday that it has inked a partnership with Google for the development of AI-powered glasses with Android XR.
“We are honored to share the values of innovation and forward thinking with Google, and we are proud to partner with them to explore new horizons for the future development of our company,” said Roberto Vedovotto, founder, president and chief executive officer of Kering Eyewear. “Together, we are shaping a product that people will want to wear: a pair of masterfully designed, high-quality, stylish glasses that unlock the potential of artificial intelligence, while redefining the way of interacting with both the real and virtual worlds.”
Aimed at seamlessly integrating into everyday life, the smart eyewear will feature intuitive, personalized AI-driven functions enabling users to engage with their environment in new and meaningful ways.
“We’ve always believed in blending cutting-edge technology with great user experiences,” said Shahram Izadi, general manager and vice president of XR at Google. “Integrating our immersive XR platform with Kering Eyewear’s glasses will give consumers the fashion and function to get the most out of Android XR.”
A precise timing of the launch is not yet available.
Founded in 2014, Kering Eyewear was a pioneer in changing the business model for luxury groups with regard to the eyewear category, straying from the well-trodden licensing business model. It has grown to produce and distribute collections for 14 brands, including Gucci, Cartier, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Montblanc, Dunhill, Alaïa and Puma. It also owns brands Lindberg, Maui Jim and Zeal Optics.
In April, Kering Eyewear inked an agreement to acquire Italian eyewear manufacturers Visard and Mistral, as reported. The two companies have been strategic partners of Kering Eyewear since its foundation in 2014 and this operation will allow the company to further strengthen its position in the industry and to advance its industrial development.
In 2024, Kering Eyewear reached record revenue of 1.6 billion euros, a 6 percent increase on 2023 on a comparable basis. It reported recurring operating income of 277 million euros, and a margin of 17.5 percent on sales.
The collaboration with Google marks a new chapter in design smart glasses as it will leverage the eyewear expertise of the Italy-based company and Google’s revolutionary technological innovations within extended reality.
Although tech companies have been quite prolific in this field, with Snap launching its Spectacles camera glasses that counted a high-end fashion collaboration with Gucci, unveiled in 2019, and Bose introducing Frames, embedded with an open-ear audio formula, for example, fashion-leaning eyewear players have stayed quieter. A few exceptions include Ray-Ban Stories, a joint effort of the EssilorLuxottica-owned brand and Meta, and South Korean buzzy label Gentle Monster’s connected eyewear developed in tandem with Huawei.
In September, EssilorLuxottica said it had extended its partnership with Meta Platforms with the aim of building on the success of its Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to develop the next generation of smart eyewear products.
The two companies initially joined forces in 2019.
The second iteration of Ray-Ban smart glasses allow wearers to make phone calls, capture and share photos and videos, listen to music and livestream content to Facebook and Instagram. Meta recently introduced an AI assistant for consumers in the U.S. and Canada.
In September 2023, Safilo introduced a new high-tech Carrera model in partnership with Amazon, equipped with smart features courtesy of Alexa, the latter company’s virtual assistant technology, dropping exclusively in the U.S.