Oakley turns flagship into smart glasses lab

Plus: VSP Vision Buys Marcolin, Reshapes Eyewear Power Map

Author

Zihan Lyu
September 10, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

ClickZ Eyewear

Here's what's happening this week in the world of eyewear eCommerce:
- Oakley turns Denver flagship into a performance testing lab
- Gentle Monster debuts a 14-story multi-sensory brand universe
- IFA award winner L’Atitude 52°N launches AI smart frames

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Swipe through for the highlights.

📌WEEKLY MUST-KNOWS

VSP Vision, parent of Marchon, agreed to acquire Marcolin from PAI Partners and minority shareholders, creating a larger licensing and manufacturing footprint across 125+ countries. The deal, expected to close in Q4 2025 pending regulatory approvals, pairs VSP’s insurance and optical network scale with Marcolin’s luxury portfolio (Tom Ford, Zegna, Max Mara). Expect tighter supply chain coordination, stronger negotiating leverage with retailers, and potential shifts in licensing competition and distribution in the Americas and EMEA.

Oakley is using its new Denver store as a live lab for Meta’s HSTN smart glasses, channeling athlete-run clubs and in-store demos into product feedback loops. Backed by Meta’s €3B investment in EssilorLuxottica and surging device adoption, the move reframes the store as R&D plus content engine. Performance-first positioning signals a different go-to-market from lifestyle-led peers and could accelerate category legitimacy among sport and outdoor segments.

Gentle Monster launched Haus Nowhere, a 14-floor multi-brand hub blending eyewear, fragrance, tea, tableware, and art into a unified sensory journey. The concept treats retail as culture and content, making stores harder to replicate online and more valuable as brand media. Expect cross-category basket building and experiential KPI shifts that reward narrative consistency across physical and digital touchpoints.

⚡QUICK READS

L’Atitude 52°N Wins IFA NEXT: Berlin-based L’Atitude 52°N launched “The Departure Collection” with AI assistant, live translation, and IP65 frames, signaling a design-forward entrant in increasingly crowded smart eyewear.(More)

Von Miller x GlassesUSA Push: Von Miller’s sub-$130 sunglasses and prescription line with GlassesUSA aligns sports-led drops with the NFL calendar, offering a playbook for timed DTC bundles and affiliate surges.(More)

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