This Smart-Eyewear Brand Champions Design Simplicity

High fashion and high tech are no longer mutually exclusive, as proven by the latest innovation from London-based studio Layer: extended-reality glasses called Viture One. “The aim is to stream media anywhere, while the design philosophy is about simplicity,” founder and creative director Benjamin Hubert explains. Throughout a six-month collaboration with San Francisco start-up Viture, Hubert contemplated hundreds of prototypes, crafting gestural drawings and watercolor mockups before arriving at the final product, which looks like a pair of traditional sunglasses yet is anything but.

“The smart-eyewear space is typically populated by over-designed, overly technical frames,” Hubert adds. “We’re delivering the antithesis of that trend.” Inspired by such timeless styles as the Ray-Ban Wayfarer, the silhouette conceals technical elements, including surround-sound speakers. The frames are paired with a semiflexible, lightweight neckband that discreetly houses hardware and battery. In neutral colorways and finishes—Jet Black, Marshmallow, glossy or matte Indigo—and adjustable prescription lenses, Viture One sees everyone.