Gucci-branded Google smart glasses are coming next year

Google is reportedly partnering with Gucci to make a pair of AI smart glasses stylish enough people might actually want to wear them. According to Reuters, Gucci parent company Kering is planning to launch the glasses sometime in 2027.

Google’s first pair of Android XR glasses, “Project Aura,” are expected to launch this year. They feature essentially the same look as Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses, with chunky, black plastic frames. They’ll usher in Google’s second attempt at smart glasses, after Google Glass infamously failed to catch on over a decade ago.

Last year, Google also announced glasses partnerships with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, but neither brand is as high profile as Gucci. Unlike many other tech products, smart glasses have to be stylish in order to take off, and partnering with a luxury brand like Gucci might help Google compete with the Meta Ray-Ban line-up. Partnerships with fashion brands also allow tech companies to put a different brand name on their glasses — as Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said recently, “the Meta brand, I think, is not something people want anywhere near their face.”