Safilo Group teams up with Amazon on Alexa smart glasses

Eyewear manufacturing conglomerate Safilo Group has partnered with e-commerce giant Amazon on new smart glasses, implementing the platform’s Alexa technology into two frame designs.

The ‘Carrera Smart Glasses’, which are only currently available on the US market, come complete with open-ear audio technology, funnelling sound directly to the wearer’s ears while minimising what others can hear.

In a release, chief executive officer of Safilo Group, Angelo Trocchia, said that the company had “always looked to the future with an innovative approach”, adding: “Furthermore, we are proud to combine our well-established traditional wholesale distribution model – which encompasses eyecare retailers, chains, department stores, specialised retailers, and boutiques – with Amazon’s incredible online distribution.”

A similar mindset was present with director of smart eyewear at Amazon, Jean Wang, who noted that smart eyewear built on the company’s vision for Alexa, a cloud-based virtual assistant that can be activated through speech.

The concept of ‘smart eyewear’ is one in which technology companies have been increasingly exploring in light of slowly rising demand for the products – something that fashion labels are now also beginning to pay attention to.

While in June 2023, it was revealed that Reebok had signed a smart eyewear deal with Innovative Eyewear, Ray Ban had already marked its entry into the market back in 2021, partnering with Facebook on wearable tech glasses complete with a discrete camera function.