Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of services including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is reportedly in talks to acquire a minority stake in EssilorLuxottica SA, the world’s largest eyewear maker.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Meta has been holding talks with the eyewear maker to acquire a stake of about 5% of the company, valued at €4.5 billion ($4.9 billion). The report notes that talks are continuing and may not result in a deal.

Meta acquiring a stake in the company that makes glasses under brands including Oakley, Dolce&Gabbana, Burberry, Chanel and Ray-Ban, among many others, isn’t as surprising as it may initially seem. The key is Ray-Ban.

Meta and EssilorLuxottica have a preexisting partnership wherein the Italian-French giant makes Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses. Initially known as Ray-Ban Stories, the current generation of the glasses, launched in September, has reportedly been highly successful, successful enough that Meta is now interested in taking a minority stake in its manufacturer.

The partnership between the two companies leverages EssilorLuxottica’s expertise in high-quality eyewear manufacturing and Meta’s tech to offer a product that appeals to both tech enthusiasts and fashion-conscious consumers.

The current model of Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses combines a classic Ray-Ban design with a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and enhanced audio capabilities with custom-designed speakers. Though the glasses are called smart, they do not provide augmented or virtual reality viewing and users communicate with them through touch and voice.

The glasses’ hands-free features allow users to take photos, make calls, listen to music and live stream without needing to use their phones. They also come with functions designed to enhance the user experience, including noise suppression for clearer audio and a five-microphone array for better call quality and immersive audio recording.

Much of the burgeoning success for the smart glasses comes back not only to the technology on offer but also to one area tech makers have struggled with: looks. Most augmented and similar smart glasses tend to look unappealing to mainstream users, whereas the Ray-Ban Meta Sunglasses looks like normal Ray-Bans. By taking away the tech look of the product, it’s appealing to more people.

Making products that have mainstream appeal is key to Meta’s wearable technology division, which is best known for its Meta Quest headsets. EssilorLuxottica brings that to the table as Mark Zuckerberg seeks to position Meta as the go-to company for wearable smart technology.

Image: Meta