Google’s at it again, once again reiterating that Google Glass is not meant for geeks alone. In a new but largely expected twist to the Glass tale, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has announced a tie-up with Ray-Ban maker Luxottica, adding style to substance.
Luxottica, makers of premium, luxury and sports eyewear brands Ray-Ban, Oakley, Vogue-Eyewear, Persol, Oliver Peoples, Alain Mikli and Arnette, said that the announcement offers a “far reaching strategic partnership between Luxottica and Google to work together across multiple efforts on the creation of innovative iconic wearable devices.”
Google itself added that Glass was the next chapter in the long history of eyewear. “We’ve got some big news to share as we announce today that we have agreed to join forces with Luxottica,” it said it said in a Google+ post before launching into a (thankfully brief) history of sunglasses.
“When the first eyeglasses appeared in the 13th century, they took off and over the next 700 years, they evolved over and over, with the first bifocals appearing in the 18th century, and the monocle and sunglasses shortly after. Nowadays, glasses are global phenomenon – a reflection of both function and fashion,” it said.
“We see Glass as the next chapter in this long story. Light, simple and modular, Glass introduces new functionality as your glasses get smarter – but bringing your own style to Glass is just as important. Earlier this year, we launched the Titanium Collection, designed by the Glass team. Between frames, shades, and colours, there are over 40 different ways for Explorers to make Glass their own today… but that’s not enough,” it said in the post.
Luxottica added that the two will “establish a team of experts devoted to working on the design, development, tooling and engineering of Glass products that straddle the line between high-fashion, lifestyle and innovative technology.”
Google added that the partnership will allow it to “bring even more Glass style choices to our Explorers.”
In addition, Luxottica’s retail and wholesale distribution channels will be used to sell Google Glass as and when Google decided to make it available for retail sales, it noted.
“You’re not going to see Glass on your favourite Oakleys or Ray-Bans tomorrow, but today marks the start of a new chapter in Glass’s design. Excited? Because we definitely are.,” it concluded.