Meta and Ray-Ban are betting that a collaboration with Coperni, the Parisian label celebrated for its tech-forward runway spectacles, will convince the fashion elite that smartglasses are not just a gadget, but the next must-have accessory.
Coperni unveiled its reimagining of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at its Paris Fashion Week show, drawing inspiration from the nostalgic era of 1990s LAN parties.
The show was a nod to the time when gamers physically linked computers to dive into video game battles. Coperni's design is a revamped Ray-Ban Wayfarer featuring gray mirrored lenses and a semi-transparent black frame, showcasing Meta's internal tech.
Limited to just 3,600 pairs, these glasses went on sale for $549, a slight premium over the $330 price tag of standard Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers. Coperni's Creative Director, Sébastien Meyer, describes the design as "a bit nostalgic," reminiscent of Apple’s iconic translucent iMacs.
“We didn’t want to do something crazy,” adds Coperni CEO Arnaud Vaillant, emphasizing wearability, "There is something also very important at Coperni... there is always this idea of wearability.”
Since their second-generation launch in September 2023, Ray-Ban Meta glasses have achieved unexpected success due to their wearability.
Unlike previous attempts at smartglasses, the Ray-Ban Meta maintains the classic Ray-Ban aesthetic while offering features like:
Meta is also integrating AI capabilities, enabling the glasses to answer questions about the wearer's surroundings.
EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri revealed that 2 million pairs have already been sold. Manufacturing is scaling up to an annual capacity of 10 million units by the end of 2026. RBC Capital estimates these glasses could drive over 4 percent annual revenue growth over the next decade.
To achieve this ambitious growth, Meta and Ray-Ban aim to broaden their customer base through marketing initiatives like Super Bowl commercials and strategic collaborations like the one with Coperni.
This partnership marks the first high-fashion collaboration for Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Rocco Basilico, EssilorLuxottica's chief wearables officer, emphasizes the importance of fashion in their strategy:
“...it’s always important to keep fashion — high fashion even — in mind when we do this type of project, because there is like a trickling down to all the consumers.”
Ray-Ban and Meta approached Coperni with the collaboration proposal. Meta's VP of Fashion, Eva Chen, had been in discussions with the brand for years. Coperni's Vaillant revealed that they had been approached about the first-generation Ray-Ban Stories but felt the technology wasn't quite there yet. However, he's a fan of the newest Ray-Ban Meta glasses.
Basilico hinted at future Ray-Ban and Meta projects, including exploring new styles and expanding to other EssilorLuxottica brands beyond Ray-Ban.
Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Meta is considering Oakley-branded glasses.
They're also exploring integrating Meta's augmented-reality display while maintaining the glasses' design.
“A multi-brand approach, for the wearable category, will be really the future,” Basilico concludes.