FKA Twigs in Gentle Monster's Bouquet collection campaign posters from January / Courtesy of IICombined
Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster is currently designing an upcoming lineup of artificial intelligence (AI)-based smart glasses by Google.
But IICombined, the operator of the provocative brand, has one thing it will not compromise in this project: the outrageously creative designs the brand is best known for.
Under the project, Gentle Monster is tasked with product design and branding for the Google smart glasses. The job came after Google last June invested $100 million into IICombined, appointing it as a key design partner for the next-generation AI smart glasses.
Now, Gentle Monster has a clear objective: to create a comfortable, stylish design that is acceptable for daily wearers. To accomplish the task, the firm must carefully take into account the glasses’ intricate hardware modules, including display and sensors, as well as AndroidXR, the Google software running the device.
Aside from the technical challenges, the brand will need to infuse its unique aesthetic into the design, living up to public expectations of the brand's flamboyant identity. Many of its styles feature eye-catching design and the use of unique materials. Its stores are reminiscent of a gallery, decorated with abstract sculptures and psychedelic digital signage.
With the project currently in its initial phase, Gentle Monster is now focusing on concept design, prototype development and user testing.
Shahram Izadi, vice president of Google Android XR, delivers a keynote speech during Google I/O 2025, May 20, 2025. Courtesy of IICombined
“The AI smart glasses aren't simply a tech prop to wear. They are something wearers will naturally have to accept as their own style. The glasses will demonstrate our philosophy that pivots on both aesthetics and practicality. The latter requires us to optimize qualities like fitness and weight for wearers,” an IICombined official said. The company name’s two Is represent imagination and interpretation.
“Gentle Monster’s motto is to create products that don't fail to make everyone's jaws drop. The brand's offline stores represent our ‘luxury experimentation’ that, beyond serving as a retail store, allow visitors to experience our motto with the installed arts. The upcoming Google smart glasses will likewise allow wearers to experience not just seeing, but also being seen.”
Source: Korea Times News
