Global fashion eyewear brand Gentle Monster (GENTLE MONSTER) said on the 27th that after securing a $100 million (about 145 billion won) strategic investment from global tech corporations Google (Google) last year and being selected as a key partner for next-generation AI smart glasses development, it will begin full-fledged collaboration starting this year.
Gentle Monster will join the collaboration from the early stages of product design for Google's AI smart glasses. Based on its accumulated design know-how, it plans to deliver a design that is comfortable for long-term wear yet flawless as a fashion item.
Because the device is worn on the face, comfort and aesthetics are emerging as key factors that determine the product competitiveness of AI smart glasses. At its developer conference in May last year, Google emphasized that AI smart glasses must be lightweight and wearable all day, and that it is important to have a design stylish enough for users to keep wearing while reflecting personal taste.
The global AI smart glasses market is growing rapidly. According to the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technolog (KIAT), the global AI smart glasses market, estimated at about 2.7 trillion won by the end of 2024, is forecast to grow more than fourfold to about 11.7883 trillion won by 2030. AI smart glasses also garnered attention at CES 2026, the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition, as the most promising next-generation innovative device after smartphones this year.
An IICOMBINED official said, "The convergence of tech and fashion is not a temporary trend but a core domain that will continue to expand," and added, "Please watch the new synergy that the two tech and fashion-leading corporations will create together."