Kering plans to launch Gucci-branded smart glasses in partnership with Google in 2027, chief executive Luca de Meo told Reuters this Thursday.
The initiative will place the company in direct competition with the Italian-French EssilorLuxottica, a leader in the sector, which produces Ray-Ban smart glasses in partnership with Meta.
“Probably next year, in 2027,” said De Meo, when asked about the launch schedule during a meeting with Kering investors in Florence.
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Google has not commented on the matter.
De Meo adopts a strategy of strengthening Kering’s eyewear and jewelry divisions — which currently account for a small portion of the group’s revenue — to help shield the owner of Gucci from changes in taste in the fashion market, which have been affecting the conglomerate’s star brand.
Gucci’s resumption
The executive intends to more than double Kering’s operating profit margin to bring the group back to the same level as other large luxury companies and renew Gucci after years of weak sales.
He told Reuters that the Italian brand needs to revisit its most recognized classics.
“Throughout Gucci’s 105-year history, the brand has established immediately recognizable aesthetic codes. And sometimes we fail to use them and, at other times, we end up abusing them,” he said.
