Facebook Inc. and EssilorLuxottica announced a multiyear collaboration to develop the next generation of smartglasses. The announcement was made by Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg during Facebook Connect, an annual conference held virtually from California.
The partnership will combine Facebook apps and technologies, Luxottica’s category leadership and iconic brands, and Essilor’s advanced lens technology to help people stay better connected to their friends and family. The first product will be branded Ray-Ban and is scheduled to launch in 2021. It will “combine the best of both worlds – innovative technology and fashion-forward style – to create smart glasses that consumers will truly love wearing,” according to a press release from the companies.
“We’re passionate about exploring devices that can give people better ways to connect with those closest to them,” said Andrew Bosworth, vice president of Facebook Reality Labs. “Wearables have the potential to do that. With EssilorLuxottica we have an equally ambitious partner who’ll lend their expertise and world-class brand catalogue to the first truly fashionable smart glasses.”
Rocco Basilico, chief wearables officer at Luxottica, said, “We are especially proud of our collaboration with Facebook, which projects an iconic brand like Ray-Ban into an increasingly digital and social future. Combining a brand that is loved and worn by millions of consumers around the globe with technology that has brought the world closer together, we can reset expectations around wearables. We are paving the way for a new generation of products destined to change the way we look at the world.”
Product name, specs, software capabilities, pricing and other details will be shared closer to launch in 2021, according to the release.