Google buys stake in Gentle Monster as it eyes entry into fashionable wearables
Google x Gentle Monster Credits: Google Gentle Monster logo Anyone thinking wearable technology was a trend gone by, Google just acquired a 4 percent stake in South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster, marking its most fashion-conscious foray yet into the smart glasses race. The deal, valued at approximately 107.3 million euros, positions the tech giant alongside Meta in vying for dominance in the nascent but increasingly promising augmented reality (AR) eyewear market. Gentle Monster, known for its sculptural, avant-garde eyewear and high-profile fashion collaborations with houses such as Maison Margiela and Mugler, represents an unexpected but telling partner for Google. The brand will lead design for a forthcoming line of XR (extended reality) glasses, slated for release in 2026, reported the Korea Economic Daily (KED), with Google's AI and Android XR systems embedded, developed in collaboration with Samsung and powered by Gemini, Google’s AI suite. This isn’t Google's first attempt to marry vision and technology. Its earlier iteration, Google Glass, failed to achieve mass appeal, crippled by privacy concerns, awkward aesthetics, and cultural resistance. What’s changed now is the convergence of more sophisticated AR capabilities, improved miniaturisation, and, crucially, an understanding that wearables must seduce as much as they perform. The timing of this alliance reflects the maturation of the smart glasses market, which is moving from novelty to necessity in the eyes of major tech players, KED states. Meta’s recent collaboration with EssilorLuxottica on Ray-Ban Meta frames demonstrated how meaningful the fusion of fashion and function has become. Google’s deal with Gentle Monster aims to push that agenda even further, placing style at the forefront of product design. For Google, the partnership offers both technological potential and cultural cachet. For Gentle Monster, it’s an elevation from niche fashion innovator to global tech collaborator, poised to reshape what smart eyewear can look and feel like.
Anyone thinking wearable technology was a trend gone by, Google just acquired a 4 percent stake in South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster, marking its most fashion-conscious foray yet into the smart glasses race. The deal, valued at approximately 107.3 million euros, positions the tech giant alongside Meta in vying for dominance in the nascent but increasingly promising augmented reality (AR) eyewear market.
Gentle Monster, known for its sculptural, avant-garde eyewear and high-profile fashion collaborations with houses such as Maison Margiela and Mugler, represents an unexpected but telling partner for Google. The brand will lead design for a forthcoming line of XR (extended reality) glasses, slated for release in 2026, reported the Korea Economic Daily (KED), with Google's AI and Android XR systems embedded, developed in collaboration with Samsung and powered by Gemini, Google’s AI suite.
This isn’t Google's first attempt to marry vision and technology. Its earlier iteration, Google Glass, failed to achieve mass appeal, crippled by privacy concerns, awkward aesthetics, and cultural resistance. What’s changed now is the convergence of more sophisticated AR capabilities, improved miniaturisation, and, crucially, an understanding that wearables must seduce as much as they perform.
The timing of this alliance reflects the maturation of the smart glasses market, which is moving from novelty to necessity in the eyes of major tech players, KED states. Meta’s recent collaboration with EssilorLuxottica on Ray-Ban Meta frames demonstrated how meaningful the fusion of fashion and function has become. Google’s deal with Gentle Monster aims to push that agenda even further, placing style at the forefront of product design.
For Google, the partnership offers both technological potential and cultural cachet. For Gentle Monster, it’s an elevation from niche fashion innovator to global tech collaborator, poised to reshape what smart eyewear can look and feel like.
