Nowadays, many of our purchasing decisions are based on what we see others wear and flex online. This includes lifestyle items and fashion accessories such as eyewear. One eyewear brand that has benefited from viral social media promotion is startup Pair Eyewear. In 2020, Pair Eyewear products went viral on the short-form video platform TikTok, featuring videos of customers showing off different styles of customizable frames.
For the uninitiated, Pair sells affordable glasses in multiple colors. Thanks to the brand’s products going viral on TikTok, roughly 50,000 of its customers come from the platform. For reference, the brand has sold about 3.2 million top frames, including more than 300,000 from TikTok alone this year. Pair co-founder and co-CEO Sophia Edelstein stated the brand’s unplanned success on TikTok was partly due to the diversity of the customer base. Meanwhile, Pair also works with influencers spanning a broad age group, from 20 to 65.
At the same time, the relationship goes both ways. Many consumers have also turned to eyewear to help protect their eyes from prolonged Internet use. In a previous post, we highlighted the diversity of social media girls’ forums covering various topics. Social media forums are a great avenue for those seeking online communities to meet like-minded people sharing common interests — from fashion and beauty to lifestyle.However, increased social media usage also means you should protect your eyes, which is where having a pair of high-quality glasses may be handy.
Fortunately, social media has made it easy for people to keep up with the latest eyewear trends. In this post, we’ll look at some of the must-have styles of eyewear seen on social media:
Colorful frames
These days, maximalist and bold, eye-catching eyewear styles are everywhere on social media. While simple and sleek frames aren’t going out of style anytime soon, eyewear retailers also always have vibrant colorful options available. Eyebuydirect’s variety of glasses frames include the Vinyl, which comes in a cheerful and bright orange colorway and a tortoiseshell option for a more subdued look, along with other artsy and bold eyeglasses styles.
In fact, you may have seen many of Eyebuydirect’s products throughout social media without knowing it. The eyewear brand has an EyeBuyIcons program, which is a community of customers, influencers, trendsetters, and eyewear enthusiasts who get access to new collections, events, and discounts. Aside from influencers, Eyebuydirect has also collaborated with celebrities to expand the brand’s reach, including a stylish collab with Queer Eye’s Tan France in 2020. The brand also frequently releases special-edition collections like 2023’s Forever Pride in partnership with The Trevor Project and LGBTQ+ community leaders.
Vintage frames
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Aside from colorful eyeglasses, another key eyewear trend of recent years is the resurgence of retro and vintage fashion. Many modern eyeglasses styles today are directly influenced by older silhouettes, like Ray-Ban’s Aviators, which were popularized in the 80s, or the timeless cat-eye lens shapes which were all the rage in the 60s. Even luxury eyewear brands are in on the vintage trend, releasing new collections featuring retro-inspired or vintage aesthetics.
One of the plus sides of wearing vintage eyeglass frames, however, is that you don’t necessarily have to buy new pairs of glasses. These days, thrift stores — both online and physical — are a great way to score vintage eyeglasses and other fashion pieces for affordable prices. For example, influencer thrift store Detoure combined this concept of a thrift store with influencer culture, offering customers an easy and convenient way to purchase fashion items and accessories like sunglasses from influencers. This is to help combat the fast fashion industry’s rising toll on the environment. On Detoure’s website, customers can snag barely worn branded items for a fraction of their original price. A pair of Vera Wang sunglasses worn by influencer Rae Hersey originally worth $204, for example, can be bought for $50.
Blue light lenses
Another ongoing eyewear trend that has grown in popularity is blue light protection. In an increasingly digital age, consumers of all ages are growing concerned about the possible effects and consequences of constant exposure to digital screens. Over the years, studies have shown that prolonged screen use can impact our vision and eye health, from causing eye fatigue to pain or discomfort. This is where blue light protection comes in.
Many eyewear brands today offer blue light lens upgrades for their eyewear products to help meet this demand. Additionally, these brands are also ramping up collaborations with influencers and celebrities to help promote eye health care and the importance of blue light protection. In 2020, Asian-American beauty influencer Bretman Rock partnered with Dime Optics for an eyewear collection which included a pair of electric blue frames with blue light lenses. Similarly, two years later, eyewear brand Quay collaborated with Hollywood celebrity and heiress Paris Hilton for a series of 12 stylish sunglasses, prescription, and blue light glasses in the name of female empowerment.
Smart glasses
— 𝐊✰ (@kryystalcx) January 17, 2024
Finally, a key shift in the eyewear industry is the rise of smart eyewear and AI. One prominent eyewear brand that has best capitalized on the smart wearable trend is Ray-Ban, through its massive collaboration with tech company Meta. In 2023, the two companies announced the Ray-Ban Meta, a huge update from its short-lived predecessor, the Ray-Ban Stories.
Unlike most eyewear trends, these Ray-Ban smart glasses are specifically geared and marketed towards influencers. Using the glasses’ combination of software and hardware, wearers can easily capture or stream images and videos without needing their smartphones or computers nearby. A great example of this is fitness model Krystal’s video of her demonstrating the Ray-Ban Meta recording herself in the mirror, as if an invisible being is the one holding the camera. Of course, while smart glasses aren’t as commodified as other types of eyewear available today, we’re likely to see even more social media influence and promotion of these wearables as technologies continue to improve and become accessible.
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