Gentle Monster Teases Smart Eyewear With Joaquin Phoenix
The South Korean eyewear brand previewed its intelligent eyewear collection in a campaign film directed by Jonathan Glazer, with pre-orders opening November 12.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Accessories
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Gentle Monster unveiled a first-look teaser of its intelligent eyewear collection, starring Joaquin Phoenix in a campaign film directed by Jonathan Glazer. The collection is part of a partnership with Google and Samsung and is built on Google's Android XR platform, powered by the Gemini AI assistant.
Why it matters
The launch reflects growing competition among eyewear makers to add AI features to fashion frames, following Meta and Ray-Ban's second-generation AI glasses and Kering's partnership with Google. For consumers, it signals that smart glasses are moving toward mainstream fashion design.
Pre-orders for the Gentle Monster intelligent eyewear collection begin November 12, 2026, with a public preview in New York scheduled for November 13 to 23. Pricing and full product specifications were not included in the announcement.
The players
Gentle Monster
A South Korean eyewear brand known for its bold, experimental frame designs, now expanding into intelligent wearable technology.
Joaquin Phoenix
An Academy Award-winning American actor who stars in the campaign film for the collection.
Jonathan Glazer
A British filmmaker known for his feature films and music videos, who directed the campaign film.
The technology company whose Android XR platform and Gemini AI assistant power the collection's smart glasses.
The details
Gentle Monster released a first-look teaser on Friday featuring Joaquin Phoenix as a salesman who encounters bizarre occurrences in an unfamiliar hotel. The full film is scheduled to debut later this month, and the collection's smart glasses will allow hands-free photos, calls and translation.
Timeline
May 2026: Gentle Monster, Google and Samsung first unveiled their partnership at Google I/O.
November 6, 2026: First-look teaser of the eyewear campaign was released.
November 12, 2026: Pre-orders for the collection begin.
November 13-23, 2026: Public preview of the collection takes place in New York.
Culture Shift
Gentle Monster's launch follows Meta and Ray-Ban's second-generation AI glasses, endorsed by Kylie Jenner earlier this year, as fashion houses bring smart eyewear into luxury design. Kering's partnership with Google to develop AI eyewear for its own brands suggests the category is becoming a fashion-industry priority.
Shoppers planning to buy the collection can pre-order starting November 12, and the New York preview offers an in-person look before purchase. The smart glasses' hands-free photo, call and translation features will determine how useful the frames are for daily routines.
The takeaway
Smart eyewear is shifting from tech novelty toward wardrobe staple, so readers weighing a purchase should compare features like hands-free assistance against price once it is announced. Watching the November pre-order window will show how much demand the fashion-forward design generates.
What happens next
The full campaign film is scheduled to debut later this month, pre-orders open November 12, and the New York public preview runs November 13 to 23, 2026.
Further reading
For more on accessory trends shaping eyewear and wearables, explore Accessories.
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