Meta Considers Shopping for 5% Stake in Sunglass Maker EssilorLuxottica

Might Meta be shifting into the world of trend?

I imply, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has definitely made an effort to grow to be extra modern of late, and with its Ray Ban Tales glasses changing into a extra in-demand accent, it’s not so arduous to think about a future the place Meta may be a trend model in itself.

Effectively, perhaps.

Late final week, The Wall Road Journal reported that Meta is in talks to amass a 5% stake in EssilorLuxottica, the corporate behind these very Ray Ban sun shades.

EssilorLuxottica, whom Meta has been working with on Ray Ban Tales for the previous few years, owns numerous trend manufacturers, along with Ray Ban, together with Oakley and Sunglass Hut, and as such, the funding right here is seen as a method to fend off competitors within the accelerating wearable areas, by guaranteeing that Meta stays the one companion for EssilorLuxottica’s design IP and distribution.

In response to WSJ, the deal can be value round $US5 billion, including to Meta’s backside line for its metaverse growth.

And that may very well be a wise transfer. Meta says that demand for Ray Ban Tales is exceeding manufacturing capability, and with the corporate additionally trying to showcase its absolutely AR enabled sun shades later this yr, securing its partnership with the sunglass maker may assist to solidify a key benefit, in making each practical and trendy gadgets.

However there may be one other component to this proposed partnership which hasn’t been as extensively mentioned as but.

One other trend model that EssilorLuxottica now owns is Supreme, the development main trend model that’s gained massive traction by way of a variety of excessive profile clients.

EssilorLuxxotica acquired Supreme earlier this month, flagging a transfer into different areas of trend, which may additionally play an element in Meta’s transfer to take up a stake within the firm.

After all, the AR wearables angle is essentially the most logical, and most speedy partnership between the 2. However what if Meta additionally partnered with Supreme on restricted version trend drops, facilitated solely on Fb and IG?

Would that assist to make Meta’s apps cool once more? It might definitely carry a crowd, and what if Meta seemed to launch a Supreme model of its Quest headset?

There’s a variety of the way by which this might result in a broader trend crossover between Meta and Supreme, along with its funding in the way forward for its AR glasses.

It’s all speculative proper now, with no official affirmation of Meta shopping for a stake within the firm. However you may see a possible roadmap for a future ramping in direction of making Meta’s apps cool once more, with a longer-term view to constructing the metaverse into the vacation spot to just about hang around.

As such, there may very well be extra at play right here than AR glasses alone, as Meta considers how to make sure that its future initiatives stay the favored selection amongst youthful audiences.