Silmo 2026

DCA attended the leading global eyewear show at SILMO Paris this year to explore how technology is influencing the category.

Glasses have remained largely unchanged for over 700 years. It is extraordinary how many different variations have been conceived of an item that comprises two lenses and a frame which contacts three points on the head. Turns out almost an infinite number. The majority of this diversity has been driven by our desire to use glasses as an accessory to express and refresh our image through fashion and style rather than comfort or their core function of sight improvement. Silmo showed that this prolific aesthetic diversity shows no sign of slowing down. New manufacturing technologies are actually accelerating this variation and personalisation evidenced by several 3D printing service exhibitors.  

Beyond aesthetics, eyewear obviously performs important functional roles of correcting vision and/or providing a convenient method of protecting the eyes from damage. However, more recently eyewear has been recognised as prime real estate for all sorts of additional functional benefits in the form of smartglasses.

Back in 2013, Google Glass led the way in this emerging category. Privacy and the price point was cited as the key contributors to its failure as it was pulled two years later. Just before it’s delisting we visited CES which was already awash with smartglasses aiming to emulate it’s benefits. The industry has matured in the intervening years along with the technology allowing far more affordable pricing and visually discreet integration. Ray-Ban and Meta glasses produced by Luxottica are at the forefront of this new wave. Core benefits remain largely unchanged with almost all smart eyewear including audio capabilities, some have cameras and some integrate display technology. The big difference now is the integration with AI technology that translates and interprets the environmental information the glasses are capturing in real-time. All still require a smartphone connection to do most of the heavy lifting of processing, enabling the hardware onboard the glasses to be miniaturised. 

We saw various control interfaces for smart eyewear including voice activation, gesture recognition, ring navigation and even iris tracking. One feature we had not seen before was the integration of EEG (Electroencephalography) and brainwave-detecting. This seemed to be part of a major trend blending smart eyewear with predictive healthcare and AI. Luxottica’s Nuance Audio Plus is another good example of where smart eyewear successfully crosses the boundary into healthcare by aiding hearing loss. It’s going to be interesting to see what other health benefits are going to be addressed from advancements in this growing category. Heartrate? Diet tracking? Blood glucose?  Dementia management?  
 

It was heartening to see smartglasses being painted in a positive light as there still seems to be a lot of public backlash around suspicions of smartglasses infringing civil liberties or being exploited for nefarious uses. The issue of privacy, that contributed to the downfall of Google Glass, still blights the category as many of the smart eyewear manufacturers were highlighting various features to manage this complex issue. Although some seemed less bothered by it’s implications. At least the weird looks of the Goggle Glass drew attention, whereas the downside of today’s smartglasses becoming more discreet is that it makes it virtually impossible to notice if you are being recorded. This is clearly an issue that will still require careful consideration if the category is to continue to grow and careful design could be the key.
 

The issue of price point has largely been addressed as the industry has evolved. But the issue of privacy that plagued Google Glass seems to still blight the category. At least the weird looks of the Goggle Glass drew attention, whereas the downside of today’s smartglasses becoming more discreet is that it makes it virtually impossible to notice if you are being recorded. The person on the street is still suspicious about smartglasses enable users to potentially for infringe civil liberties or exploit for nefarious uses.

Many of the smart eyewear manufacturers at Silmo were highlighting various features to manage the issue of privacy. Although some seemed less bothered by it’s implications. This is clearly an issue that will still require careful consideration if the category is to continue to grow.

Apple is due to reveal Glass (Codename N50) by the end of this year with the aim to rival Meta glasses. Apple are betting that their superior design and integrated ecosystem will set them apart. As they phase out their Vision Pro this marks a transition from mixed-reality headsets to smartglasses. Apple’s recognition that consumers prefer everyday portability over total immersion will only go to bolster the growth in this category. 

Barriers to entry are also falling. The technology is becoming far more affordable. There were several Asian tech manufacturers simply selling ready to go systems that could be installed into any custom frames giving any eyewear brand an easier entry point into the smart eyewear sector. Some traditional frame manufacturers we spoke to expressed concerns on how the growth in this sector will negatively impact on their business. 

One thing is certain, like AI, the impact and benefits of smartglasses are not fully understood but their progress seems to be unstoppable.

Written by Dai Sanders