For smart glasses and other wearables, fashion is as important as functionality
This week saw the arrival of new Snap Spectacles , and based on what’s been announced, they sound like some rugged AR glasses that come closer than ever to what we’d imagined based on sci-fi depictions of the tech. But while they may be in the running for best smart glasses, man, do they look insane.
They look like those giant 3D glasses you wear at the cinema, and I certainly wouldn’t want to wear them in public. That’s a stark contrast to the Ray-Ban and Meta collaboration smart glasses, which have been a huge hit in the fashion world. They ooze coolness – right down to their sleek charging case – and they’ve been my go-to pair of sunglasses all summer, even when they’re turned off, largely because of their aesthetic.
Based on the design alone, I know which glasses I prefer to wear every day. While the Snap Spectacles clearly have more features, a large part of me would still rather wear the smart glasses from Meta Ray-Bans.
Because in the age of wearable technology, fashion is at least as important as functionality.
Fashion is more than design
I want to briefly distinguish between a design feature and technology that is in fashion.
In the world of smart glasses, one design feature is something called electrochromic dimming lenses – lenses that can be made brighter or more shaded via electrical stimulation at the touch of a button. This is a design feature I’ve tested in specs like the Chamelo glasses, which make the smart glasses wearable in different weather conditions – a feature missing from the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses which are permanently shaded, meaning I can only use them for about a quarter of the year here in the UK.
Fashion, on the other hand, doesn’t have to offer a benefit more substantial than looking good, a factor like frame shape or color. Savvy eyewear brands like Lucyd and Ray-Ban have shown a keen understanding of this aspect of design, with a selection of frame shapes that are otherwise functionally identical to each other. This allows you to customize your experience without sacrificing technical capabilities.
Sometimes, fashion and design cues intertwine. Look at smart rings. Their biggest design cue—reducing clutter by removing the usual smartwatch or fitness tracker screen—offers functional distinctions between these and other health wearables. At the same time, it enables a different design profile that supports those who favor a more minimalist aesthetic or want to wear a classic dumb watch without sacrificing wellness tracking—or having to wear two watches (which looks super weird, and you know it).
But even without fashion being linked to functionality, it cannot and should not be ignored.
Works well, looks better
In other areas of technology, it’s understandable why fancy extras can be dismissed as unnecessary. My PC’s RAM sticks won’t run any faster because they light up with RGB lighting; a gold-plated iPhone is still just an iPhone. But wearables—smart accessories that replace our classic choice of jewelry—are about more than just how useful they are.
Our fashion is an extension of who we are, it’s a way to express ourselves externally, to stamp our visual identity. So even if the smart accessory provides a useful benefit to our health, fitness or safety, why should that gadget expect us to sacrifice our identity in return?
Part of this is that we’re in the early days of smart glasses and wearables in general. There’s only so much style variation you can afford if the gadget needs to be tech-heavy, or if you don’t expect to sell many (each variation adds complexity and cost).
That said, I think it’s equally important for wearable makers to put effort into making sure something is fashionable, but also functional and useful. That means introducing variants so we can find a design that fits our vibe, or making the design of a single product look amazing instead of gross and dumb.
Because just as it doesn’t matter whether a piece of clothing is designer if you don’t like the style, it doesn’t matter how great a wearable is if you think it looks ugly. If we don’t like the way it looks, we won’t wear it much – and how useful is a smart wearable really if it sits in your drawer all day?
