Google buys stake in Gentle Monster as it eyes entry into fashionable wearables
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Mark Zuckerberg's secret list of top AI talent to poach has tech world atwitter
Mark Zuckerberg reportedly spent months putting together a list of the top AI engineers and researchers across the globe, preparing to offer potential recruits lucrative compensation packages in Meta's attempt to poach AI talent from key competitors. Silicon Valley has been talking for weeks about the Meta CEO's quest to attract top AI talent, including by offering pay packages worth up to $100m. Zuckerberg has personally reached out to desired candidates, according to the Wall Street Journal. Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has been competing in the search for AI dominance with rivals like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, which have invested billions of dollars into AI research and product development. Last month, questions were raised about the direction of Meta's AI development after it delayed the scheduled rollout of Behemoth, its flagship AI model. Earlier this month, Meta paid $14bn for a stake in Scale AI and is putting its founder, 28-year-old Alexandr Wang, in charge of its 'superintelligence team' – an internal lab that would focus on Meta's efforts to develop a hypothetical AI system that is smarter than humans. Last year, Google bought out the shareholders in a chatbot service that allows users to have personal conversations with different AI personas, for $2.7bn. People on 'the list', as Zuckerberg's slate is known around Silicon Valley, include recent graduates from top PhD programs at schools like the University of California at Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon. Many are currently employed by Meta's AI competitors, including OpenAI and Google's DeepMind project, and have traded notes with each other on Meta's recruiting efforts. A recruit who has personally spoken to Zuckerberg said that his goal appears to be a 'transfusion from the country's top AI labs'. A WhatsApp group chat called 'Recruiting Party' was formed for Zuckerberg and at least two other senior Meta executives to talk through potential hires. The Meta CEO has been trying to personally find candidates by looking through research papers, according to the Wall Street Journal. Zuckerberg's hands-on recruiting efforts have drawn the ire of OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who called the rumored signing bonuses and compensation packages on offer 'crazy'. 'I'm really happy that, at least so far, none of our best people have decided to take them up on that,' Altman said during an appearance on the Uncapped podcast, which is hosted by his brother Jack. 'I think the strategy of a ton of upfront, guaranteed comp, and that being the reason you tell someone to join, like really the degree to which they're focusing on that and not the work and not the mission, I don't think that's going to set up a great culture.'
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Meta hires four more OpenAI researchers, The Information reports
June 28 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab is hiring four more OpenAI artificial intelligence researchers, The Information reported on Saturday. The researchers, Shengjia Zhao, Jiahui Yu, Shuchao Bi and Hongyu Ren have each agreed to join, the report said, citing a person familiar with their hiring.
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Lewis Capaldi honoured with touching tribute from Google as he makes emotional return to Glastonbury stage two years after Tourette's battle left him unable to finish his set
Lewis Capaldi was honoured with a touching tribute from Google as returned to Glastonbury two years after his battle with Tourette's left him unable to finish his performance. The singer, 28, choked back tears as he declared 'I'm back baby' during his emotional return to Glastonbury's iconic Pyramid Stage for a secret set on Friday. In honour of Lewis' return, Google made a sweet tribute to Lewis as they added a 'welcome back' message to their search for anyone Googling the star. Below his name the words 'Welcome back Lewis - Someone we love' flashed up on screen alongside a love heart emoji. Google also posted a picture of the Scottish singer to its official Instagram, with the same caption. The Bruises hitmaker was greeted with cheers from the huge Worthy Farm crowd, following a two-year career hiatus. Delighted to be back in front of an audience he tearfully said: 'Two years ago I wasn't sure if I'd ever do this again, but I'm back baby!'. Lewis sung a number of his famous hits, before once chocking back tears as he performed brand new single Survive, which highlights the difficult period in his career following his last Glastonbury gig. Fans in the crowd could be seen crying and calling out his name before joining him in a rendition of mega-hit Someone You Loved. In his emotional speech, Lewis said: 'Glastonbury it's good to be back. Won't say too much up here today as if I do I might start crying, but I can't thank you enough for coming here and being with here'. 'Second times a charm hey! It's a short set today but just wanted to come and finish what I couldn't last time, also this was like the worst kept f*****g secret ever'. Following his set Lewis took to Instagram with footage of his performance alongside a post which read: 'Glastonbury it's so incredible to be back, thank you so much for having me x' Fans and famous friends rushed to the comments to welcome the talented musician back into the public eye. Sam Fender said: 'Return of The King', while Alan Shearer said: 'Love It': Paddy McGuinness gushed: 'Governor' and Jade Thirlwall shared a slew of loving emojis. Delighted to back in front of an audience he tearfully said: 'Two years ago I wasn't sure if I'd ever do this again, but I'm back baby!'' Following his emotional set at Worthy Farm in June 2023, the singer took time off to focus on his mental health and to 'adjust to the impact' of his Tourette's diagnosis. Also performing on Glastonbury's first day was CMAT, Lola Young, Alanis Morissette, as well Lorde with her own secret set. Meanwhile, Rizzle Kicks also made a return to the stage after their own 11-year hiatus and were joined by a surprise guest. Harley 'Sylvester' Alexander-Sule and Jordan Stephens performed the biggest hits, with the later introducing his mum on stage during their track Mama Do the Hump. Pointing to his parent, who was wearing a green wig, he exclaimed: 'Give it up for my mum!' as the crowd went wild. It comes hours after Lewis shocked fans by announcing his comeback on Instagram, sharing a snippet of his new song and the Henry Dockrill directed accompanying music video. Captioning his exciting post, he simply wrote: 'It's been a while…' before directing his followers to the link to his song in his bio.
