Prada eyewear, manufactured under license by the Luxottica Group, has also been prominent. In July, 3,755 unboxing and styling videos on TikTok were tagged with #pradaeyewear, marking the first time an eyewear-related hashtag has appeared on Vogue Business’ TikTok trend tracker. Celebrity collaborations with Pete Davidson, Travis Barker, and Lily Allen, as well as a viral campaign led by Jake Gyllenhaal and Hunter Schafer, have also boosted demand. As a result, Prada eyewear’s global brand share grew 8% this year to $300 million, accounting for 3% of the total global luxury eyewear market, according to Euromonitor data.
“Sunglasses are becoming increasingly important to the bottom line of luxury fashion retailers,” says Natasha Kazin, senior consultant at Euromonitor. “Eyewear is an entry point for consumers into luxury, especially for younger Gen Zers who can’t yet afford luxury handbags, watches and shoes.” She adds that these Gen Z consumers have the potential for lifelong brand loyalty.
Charli XCX wore Balenciaga sunglasses at the Balenciaga Couture show in June.
Photo: Arnold Gelocchi/Getty Images Balenciaga
“Sunglasses offer aspirational shoppers a product that capitalizes on the cultural capital of luxury brands, providing a way for customers to align themselves with a brand’s identity and prestige,” says fashion critic Jessica Wagstaff, who points out that eyewear is big business, with high markups and consumers prepared to pay up to £600 for a pair of luxury sunglasses.
Collaboration boosts advertising (and sales)
Saint Laurent isn’t the only brand to have benefited from this summer’s collaborative models.
Lara Junge, core and conscious buyer at London concept store LN-CC, says the Gentle Monster x Mugler collaboration produced some of this summer’s most popular shades. “The Gentle Monster, Mugler and Maison Margiela designer collaborations were special moments. In Mugler’s case in particular, it was really cool to see the brand reference the ‘Fourmis’ eyewear from his 1997 haute couture collection,” agrees Ollie Cox, writer for online fashion platform Culted.
