Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Meta, and his wife Priscilla were seen in the front row at the Prada Fall/Winter 2026 Fashion Show in Milan on Thursday, where they had an in-depth discussion with Lorenzo Bertelli, Prada's Chief Merchandising Officer. This move has sparked strong market speculation about an upcoming collaboration between the two companies to launch Prada-branded Meta AI glasses.
Although Meta has not officially commented, previous reports indicated that Prada is secretly developing AI glasses hardware, and its parent company EssilorLuxottica has extended its licensing agreements with Prada and Miu Miu beyond 2030, laying the supply chain foundation for this deep cross-industry collaboration between technology and fashion.
Meta is currently experiencing rapid growth in the smart glasses market. Recent data shows that due to the synergistic effects of the Ray-Ban Meta and Oakley Meta series, global sales of AI glasses increased from 2 million pairs in 2024 to 7 million pairs in 2025. By introducing Prada, a top luxury brand, Meta aims to fill its gap in the high-end fashion market, trying to transform AI hardware from a niche gadget into a luxury symbol for the mass market.
However, this strategic move also comes with common industry privacy challenges. As consumer resistance to facial recognition and environmental monitoring features increases, there have even been cases of violent destruction of surveillance devices. Meta is facing a dilemma between functional innovation and public privacy boundaries, and its future product strategies may make corresponding adjustments to real-time identification features based on market feedback. This potential collaboration not only marks the advancement of AI glasses toward premiumization but will also test the tolerance of luxury consumers towards highly integrated surveillance hardware.
