Who’s winning the luxury sunglasses battle this summer?

Prada eyewear, which is produced under licence by the Luxottica Group, has been another standout. In July, there were 3,755 posts tagged with #pradaeyewear on TikTok, where users shared unboxing and styling videos; marking the first time an eyewear-related hashtag has appeared on the Vogue Business TikTok Trend Tracker. Celebrity co-signs from Pete Davidson, Travis Barker and Lily Allen, as well as viral campaigns fronted by Jake Gyllenhaal and Hunter Schafer, also helped drive demand. As a result, Prada eyewear’s global brand shares increased by 8 per cent this year to $300 million, representing 3 per cent of the total global luxury eyewear market, according to Euromonitor data.

“Sunglasses are becoming increasingly important for the bottom line of any luxury fashion retailer,” says Natasha Cazin, senior consultant at Euromonitor. “Eyewear is the consumer’s entry point into luxury — particularly for younger Gen Zs who cannot yet afford luxury handbags, watches or footwear.” She adds that these Gen Z consumers have the potential to become lifelong brand loyalists.

“Sunglasses offer a way for aspirational shoppers to borrow against the cultural capital of luxury brands, serving as a way for customers to align with the brand’s identity and prestige,” says fashion commentator Jessica Wagstaff. She notes that eyewear has a high markup, with consumers willing to pay up to £600 for a pair of luxury shades — it’s big business.

Collaboration can drive hype (and sales)

It’s not just Saint Laurent that benefited from the collab model this summer.

Lara Djandji, core and conscious buyer at London concept store LN-CC, namechecks the Gentle Monster x Mugler collaboration as birthing its most popular shades this summer. “Gentle Monster’s designer collaborations with Mugler and Maison Margiela felt like a moment. Particularly with Mugler, it was really cool to see the brand referencing its ‘Fourmis’ eyewear from the 1997 haute couture collection,” agrees Ollie Cox, writer at online fashion platform Culted.