South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster is set to launch its first pair of smart glasses this fall, and it’s hoping to make waves with a rash of new physical retail locations across North America and Europe.
As reported by Maeil Business Newspaper , Gentle Monster is set to dramatically increase its overseas stores within the next five years. While Gentle Monster currently operates a total of 86 stores globally, 36 of which are in Korea, the Seoul-based company aims to open 10 more non-Korean locations by the end of this year, with plans to expand that number to a total of 200 within three to five years.
Gentle Monster’s rapid expansion outside of its Korean home turf comes at a critical moment, as the company hopes to drive global brand growth off the back of its upcoming smart glasses, the result of a partnership between Google and Samsung.
Much like Meta Ray-Ban, Gentle Monster’s smart glasses include a built-in camera for video and photo capture, audio input and output, and a a big focus on AI integration, although it will be one of the first smart glasses to run Google’s Android XR operating system and its Gemini AI.
“We plan to increase the number of North American stores from the current eight to more than 10 by the end of this year,” a Gentle Monster spokesperson told Maeil Business Newspaper . “We will actively market AI glasses to become a new growth engine in addition to existing eyewear.”
While North America and Europe are undoubtedly set to be a big focus for Gentle Monster, the company also aims to expand retail across Asia, including Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan.
This follows a $100 million investment by Google in Gentle Monster’s parent company IICOMBINED, giving Google a 4% stake in the company.
I was wondering how Gentle Monster would appeal to the North American and European market ever since Google announced it was working with it and US-based Warby Parker. I’ve never physically seen a pair of Gentle Monster glasses outside of Asia, so I basically assumed Samsung would take the lead, physically selling both the smart glasses from Gentle Monster and Warby Parker via its comparatively larger retail presence, leaving the two smaller brands to essentially sell primarily online and at its less numerous physical locations.