Luxury hasn’t always played nice with tech—but that’s starting to change. Smart glasses are getting a high-fashion makeover, and Prada’s leading the way.

I’ve cared about fashion since my teen years. Designer pieces felt far away. As a writer, I kept gravitating toward Montblanc. Something about the way their pens feel solid, smooth, just right, stuck with me. Later, I started paying attention to luxury fashion, and my aunt blew my mind. We stood in line at the ATM, and she took one quick look at the man behind us and said, “Those are real Cartiers.” No hesitation.

Now I keep asking—why haven’t luxury brands embraced smart eyewear yet? That’s finally changing. Meta and EssilorLuxottica are teaming up to drop AI smart glasses under both Oakley and Prada.

Yeah, you’ve seen the Meta Ray-Bans. They look stylish and work well with most outfits. Still, Ray-Ban doesn’t sit in the luxury camp. More laid-back, everyday kind of vibe. That’s why Meta x Prada smart glasses feel from… a different league. So, what do we actually know so far? We’ll also take a look at what Meta plans with Oakley.

Most people chasing designer clothes don’t care much about craftsmanship or design. They are after the name. Luxury carries weight. Some even buy paper bags with “Louis Vuitton” or “Gucci” printed on them just to snap a photo and show off. Prada, though, feels different. It’s more… low-key.

“If Giorgio Armani is Milan’s Volkswagen, then Miuccia Prada is its Mercedes,” says Michael Specter. That line from The New Yorker captures everything—Prada brings a kind of quiet class. It doesn’t shout. It glides, just like a Mercedes.

The Meta partnership with Prada doesn’t works on a practical level, too. Prada often uses thick temples in its frames, and that extra space comes in handy. It lets Meta pack in key smart-glass tech like chips and microphones, reveals CNBC. Instead of clunky headsets that turn people off, Meta’s glasses look like regular frames. Sleek. I like that Facebook’s parent company keeps going in that direction.

The deal follows Prada’s move in December, where the brand signed a 10-year renewal with Luxottica. That agreement covers everything from design to global distribution for glasses under Prada, Prada Linea Rossa, and Miu Miu.

The Ray-Ban Meta glasses got slimmer all around, lost some weight, and feel more comfortable to wear. Meta also added water resistance (IPX4) to them. Still, plenty of people mention water damage issues with their Ray-Ban Meta glasses. That’s why some treat their pair like fragile treasure. Looks like that could change soon.

The Oakley version could land at around $360, says CNBC. They’re built to handle tougher weather than the Ray-Ban ones. The first Oakley Meta model will pack the same tech Ray-Ban dropped back in 2023.

By the way, Bloomberg reported in January that Meta plans to bring its smart glasses tech to other fashion brands owned by partner Luxottica Group SA. One new model, called “Supernova 2,” is based on Oakley’s Sphaera glasses. This design moves the camera to the middle of the frame and targets cyclists and athletes.

What’s going on with smart glasses worldwide

During a Meta earnings call, Mark Zuckerberg pointed to 2025 as a “defining year” for figuring out where AI glasses head next. Whether they blow up or turn into “a longer grind.”

After the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses dropped, people worldwide jumped on the smart glasses trend. Counterpoint’s Global Smart Glasses Model Shipments Tracker shows huge spikes—156% growth in 2023, and another 210% in 2024. Meta snatched up over 60% of the market in 2024. Still, it’s not the only name in the game.

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, has its own play. Instead of calling its new generation Spectacles again, it chose Specs. These glasses bring AR into the mix, layering digital images onto the real world. Snap didn’t say how much Specs would cost or when they’d land, but the design trims down the bulk of earlier models.

XREAL’s One Pro shows how far AR glasses have come. When you look through the lenses, that floating image looks massive and sharp. Movies, games—everything feels like it’s on a giant screen. Still, there’s a downside. The glasses stay wired to something else. Your phone, laptop, or a handheld like the Steam Deck.

XREAL continues to gain ground. Next year, it’ll work with Google on a new kind of AR glasses. These won’t need a phone or computer. Instead, they’ll plug into a puck and function like Meta’s upcoming 2027 AR glasses.

Apple’s also moving. It’s preparing a pair of smart glasses without AR for next year, plus a mixed-reality headset with a smaller build and a lower price. The glasses will include cameras, speakers, and mics. With Siri built in, they’ll understand the environment and respond to voice. You’ll be able to make calls, listen to music, get directions, even translate conversations.

Takeaway

Fashion always spoke to me as something personal, an extension of who I am. Seeing smart eyewear finally enter the luxury world feels like a natural next step. Prada’s partnership with Meta shows that high-end design and cutting-edge tech can work together without compromise.