Meta smart glasses with Oakley and Prada, extending Luxottica deal

Meta and EssilorLuxottica plan to release versions of their AI-powered smart glasses under the Oakley and Prada brands, CNBC has learned.

The addition of Prada and Oakley underscore the breakout success Meta had with its second-generation Ray-Ban glasses released in partnership with Luxottica in 2023. The Oakley expansion will probably be done in partnership with Luxottica, while the addition of Prada signifies Meta’s first step toward bring its wearable hardware to more fashion firms. 

Meta on Monday teased the Oakley release on social media, launching an Instagram account for “Oakley | Meta” with a profile description that reads “The subsequent evolution is coming on June 20.”

CNBC reviewed a document that claims the brand new glasses with Luxottica will probably be aimed at athletes. Meta is targeting energetic consumers after seeing several owners of its Ray-Ban glasses use the device to record themselves playing tennis, skiing and doing other activities.

The Oakley version of the glasses may cost around $360 as they’re more weather resistant than their Ray-Ban counterparts, in keeping with an individual aware of the matter who was not authorized to talk publicly in regards to the upcoming device. The primary version of the Oakley Meta glasses will feature similar technology to the Ray-Ban Meta glasses released in 2023.

Luxottica, based in France and Italy, has licensing arrangements with over 150 brands and owns notable brands including Ray-Ban, Oakley, Vogue Eyewear and Persol.

Meta’s agreement with Prada comes after the style company in December renewed an eyewear-related licensing agreement with Luxottica for 10 years. That deals covers the “development, production and worldwide distribution of eyewear under the Prada, Prada Linea Rossa and Miu Miu brands,” the businesses said on the time.

Besides giving Meta a high-end partnership, the Prada glasses could also be a very good fit for the tech company as most of the brand’s models include thick temples, former Meta employees said. That gives more heft for housing most of the components crucial for smart glasses, including microphones and chips.

It’s unclear when the Prada deal and product line will probably be announced.

Meta first partnered with EssilorLuxottica in 2019 to jointly develop the Ray-Ban glasses. The 2 firms released the primary version in 2021, but they found success after the discharge of the second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses in 2023. That version comes equipped with the Meta AI voice assistant and includes features and, when tethered to a smartphone, lets users discover city landmarks, get recipes when ingredients and record and send voice messages on WhatsApp and Messenger.

EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri said in February the businesses have sold 2 million pairs of the Meta Ray-Ban glasses since 2023. Miller said he aimed to extend annual production to 10 million units by the top of 2026.

Meta and Luxottica announced an extension of their partnership in September, with plans to release more versions of their Ray-Ban glasses. That deal was price $5 billion, in keeping with a July 2024 report in The Wall Street Journal. As a part of the deal, Meta gets exclusive rights to Luxottica’s brands for its smart glasses technology for a variety of years, an individual aware of the matter told CNBC. 

The 2 firms plan to release a bulkier, third generation of their glasses in time for the approaching holiday season. The brand new device is anticipated to incorporate a small display in one in every of the lenses, CNBC has previously reported.

Competition out there is heating up.

Last month, Alphabet announced a $150 million partnership with Warby Parker that can see the 2 firms team as much as release glasses infused with Google’s Gemini AI assistant. The businesses plan to release the glasses sometime after 2025. 

Snap, meanwhile, announced in June that it plans to release its sixth generation smart glasses under a brand new brand called Specs. Those glasses, expected for release in 2026, will include augmented-reality technology and will probably be smaller and lighter than Snap’s prior products, Snap said. 

Meta declined to comment. Luxottica and Prada couldn’t be reached.

Bloomberg News first reported in regards to the Oakley Meta glasses in January.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the month of Meta and EssilorLuxottica’s partnership extension.

WATCH: Meta’s Orion AR glasses prototype.