The rapid advancement of technology has been disrupting industries and changing the way companies approach the development of goods and services, marketing, and catering to consumers. The luxury fashion sector is no exception to this new wave of tech, especially with the emergence of Web3 powered by blockchain technology. It makes shopping in the digital age more secure, transparent, and personalized to truly create an exclusive experience.
Other massive technologies are also shaking up the industry, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) and the metaverse. Brands and companies have explored AI as a tool to develop exciting and unique products or enhance customer experience, while the virtual world of the metaverse offers brands a new platform for exploring digital pieces.
Luxury eyewear has become the new frontier to allow brands to venture into these technologies. Since sunglasses and glasses are often seen as a gateway to the luxury fashion world, companies can reach a wider audience interested in the intersection of tech and fashion.
Here’s how AI and the metaverse are revolutionizing the luxury eyewear industry:
Virtual models
With the metaverse expanding, users are more keen than ever to personalize their digital personas to create a unique virtual identity. Like in the real world, fashion allows people to make a statement and express themselves in the metaverse. Noticing this trend, luxury sunglasses retailer Sunglass Hut partnered with the metaverse avatar platform Ready Player Me and created digital versions of popular models from top high-end brands that metaverse users could equip their virtual avatars with.
Sunglass Hut carries luxury models like the Versace VE4464 and Burberry BE4423, operating through its e-commerce website and physical stores in the US, UK, Australia, and more. These brick-and-mortar locations played a crucial role in its foray into the metaverse. In certain locations in the US, customers could scan a QR code on the “SmartShopper” digital screens to redeem virtual Ray-Ban and Oakley sunglasses. These virtual shades could then be added to their Ready Player Me avatars, which can be used across multiple virtual worlds and gaming platforms. These virtual sunglasses not only increase the company’s involvement in the metaverse but also strengthen its omnichannel strategy by incentivizing people to visit its physical stores.
Metaverse communities
Aside from virtual products, the luxury eyewear industry is leveraging the metaverse to create entire virtual communities and giving consumers a new way to interact and connect with the brand through digitalization. The Police lifestyle brand developed Audacityland, a platform based on web 2.5 technology that enables consumers from all around the world to navigate its livable digital experience in the metaverse. Upon registering, consumers obtain a personal, unique, and certified membership token through blockchain technology.
Users on the platform can also grow their membership through P-Coins, allowing them to level up their membership and access exclusive perks and experiences. European shoppers can also earn P-Coins when they purchase items from the Audacityland My.Avatar capsule collection, which includes two pairs of glasses. Police community members can even contribute creatively to the development of certain limited-edition products. The Police metaverse community engages consumers through more than just shopping; it creates a unique and immersive experience that blurs the line between brand and buyer.
Smart glasses
Smart glasses have often been seen as science fiction, and attempts to bring them into the real world haven’t always been successful. However, the rapid growth of technology over the past few years has made them a possibility and a success compared to earlier models. It’s not just tech companies venturing into the smart glasses industry but also luxury eyewear brands like Ray-Ban. Ray-Ban partnered with tech powerhouse Meta to develop smart glasses, the first being the Ray-Ban Stories and its latest generation called the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses.
While many smart glasses focus on augmented reality displays, the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses harness Meta’s AI assistant through voice commands to perform a wide range of tasks without using their phone. Wearers can snap photos, record videos, and even live stream directly on Meta’s social media platforms using the cameras built into the glasses’ frame. Open-ear speakers and microphones enable users to take calls or listen to music. New AI features are also constantly being added to upgrades, such as live language translations and multimodal capabilities that gather information from what you’re looking at. All of this technology is hidden in stylish frames Ray-Ban is known for, including the Wayfarer and new styles like the Headliner. With Ray-Ban’s parent company, EssilorLuxottica, extending its partnership with Meta, there’s much room and time for continued growth and potentially more AI integration into luxury eyewear.
Tailor-made frames
Personalization has become a massive trend, especially in the fashion industry. Consumers are not only searching for unique and rare pieces, but they also want items specifically made for them to drive in the individualistic aspect of luxury style. Luxury eyewear offers much room for novelty, experimentation, and highly customizable products—where AI plays a crucial role.
French luxury eyewear company VISAGES showcases how AI can help create custom sunglasses and glasses that are designed to fit a wearer’s features. It uses a 3D smartphone scan enhanced by AI to analyze a consumer’s unique morphological and optical characteristics with medical precision. Aside from facial measurements, it also measures pupillary distance to ensure the perfect fit of corrective or progressive lenses. After the face is scanned, the frames can be customized by changing color, textures, temples, lenses, and engravings for a unique look that suits an individual’s style preferences. The frames are then 3D printed on demand using sustainable materials to avoid stock and waste. The end result is a unique pair of frames that only the consumer can wear comfortably, creating a truly luxurious and exclusive experience with the power of AI.
