At EssilorLuxottica’s New York City showroom during an Aug. 4 Market Week event, Eyecare Business viewed the shapes, colors, materials, and technologies on display across the company’s eyewear portfolio.
Nina Esteves, head of North America trends at EssilorLuxottica, joined creative director and former PAPER editor in chief Justin Moran and producer and DJ Isan Elba for a panel exploring the intersection of eyewear, fashion, technology, culture, and consumer behavior.
Rather than presenting a single seasonal forecast, the showcase organized frames around visual stories including Midnight Dynamics, Worn-In Neutrals, Visual Rounds, and Crafted Closures.
The dark story was especially prominent. Plum, burgundy, smoke, and violet offered richer alternatives to black, while glossy and matte finishes added dimension. Styles from Tiffany & Co., Michael Kors, and Miu Miu illustrated a shape-shifting-dark direction: shades that function like neutrals while delivering more personality.
Expressive lenses also stood out. Sunset pinks, dusky blues, amber tones, and violet tints allowed light and color to show through rather than appearing dense or opaque. The showcase highlighted the 8-color Transitions GEN S palette, especially ruby, sapphire, and amethyst.
Among silhouettes, the pilot emerged across sun and optical eyewear in slim metal and bolder acetate interpretations. Rounded frames, sculptural cat-eyes, and oversized butterfly shapes broadened the mix. An Emporio Armani women’s style with a folding, swing-open showcased functional detail. Swarovski crystal embellishments, decorative temples, and eyewear chains added a jewelry-inspired dimension.
Technology formed another category. Ray-Ban Meta Optics includes the rectangular Blayzer Optics (Gen 2) and rounder Scriber Optics (Gen 2), both developed with prescription wearers in mind. The frames feature interchangeable nose pads, overextension hinges, adjustable temple tips, Meta AI, a built-in camera, and open-ear audio. Live Translation is available through the Ray-Ban Meta platform. Oakley Meta extended connected eyewear into sport and active use.
The vision-care program included a myopia-management discussion featuring Monica Jong, BOptom, PhD, head of medical affairs for North America at EssilorLuxottica, and entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman. An Essilor Stellest lens display reinforced the event’s blend of fashion, technology, and clinical eye care. Essilor Stellest is the first FDA market-authorized spectacle lens clinically proven to slow myopia progression in children.
For ECPs, the showcase offered a merchandising roadmap: expand dark assortments beyond black, add expressive lens color, maintain pilot and rounded shapes, and prioritize details that give patients a reason to look twice.