EssilorLuxottica and Meta Announce Long Term Partnership, Shaping the Future of the Smart Eyewear Category

17 Sep 2024 07:34 CEST

EssilorLuxottica and Meta Announce Long Term Partnership, Shaping the Future of the Smart Eyewear Category

Building on the success of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, the two pioneering companies
aim to write history of wearables together

Paris, France (17 September 2024) – EssilorLuxottica announced today that it has extended its partnership with Meta Platforms by entering into a new long term agreement, under which the parties will collaborate into the next decade to develop multi-generational smart eyewear products. The two companies have been collaborating successfully since 2019, resulting in two generations of Ray-Ban branded smart glasses that broke the barriers to adoption and redefined the potential for wearables in consumers’ lives.

By striking the ultimate balance between form and function, using EssilorLuxottica’s know-how in the industry and its global network of retail and wholesale locations together with Meta’s advancements in technology, Ray-Ban Meta glasses have garnered excitement and widespread adoption. The glasses, now a mainstream product, are in high demand in the markets they’re available in, including the US, CA, the UK, Australia and many European countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden.

“Over the past six decades, EssilorLuxottica has led the transformation and modernization of the eyewear and eyecare industry, positioning among the world’s leading innovators. We invest hundreds of millions every year in R&D to create products that improve quality of life for billions of people, and impact how they see the world and each other. The incredible work we’ve done with Meta, still in its early stages, has already proven to be an important milestone in our journey to making glasses the gateway to the connected world. I would like to thank the EssilorLuxottica team and our Chief Wearables Officer Rocco Basilico together with the Meta team for the great job done. We look forward to continuing to chart the future of the category together,” said Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO of EssilorLuxottica.

“I'm proud of the work we've done with EssilorLuxottica so far, and I'm excited about our long term roadmap ahead. We have the opportunity to turn glasses into the next major technology platform, and make it fashionable in the process," said Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta.

The latest generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, introduced by EssilorLuxottica and Meta in the Fall of 2023, have advanced technology built seamlessly into Ray-Ban’s iconic frames. They give consumers superpowers, including the ability to make phone calls, capture and share photos and videos, listen to music, and livestream content. This hands-free connectivity with loved ones allows people to truly live in the moment and experience life as it should be. The recent integration of Meta AI in the US and Canada, lets users get things done, be inspired and more easily connect.

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