Breadcrumbs [Home](/) > [Trend Report: Are Wearables Finally Becoming Stylish?](/markdownify/node/4300) ![Trend Report: Are Wearables Finally Becoming Stylish?](https://media.slman.com/ZRXZiDEh8gst0UeC4sVEZhKx4h0=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2026%2F05%2Fsl-man-200526-site-assets-trend-report-wearables-hero-thumb.jpg) Image: @OakleyMeta [Style](/style) / 20 May 2026 # Trend Report: Are Wearables Finally Becoming Stylish? Mark Zuckerberg is on the front row at Prada, while British designer Samuel Ross is the new creative director at Whoop. Big tech is muscling into fashion’s biggest events and buying up its talent. But could something good come of this? Could wearables finally become… more wearable? Image: @OakleyMeta All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products. [ ![](https://media.slman.com/6TGPtLPeB_p8Slx9ColVC5qbXbg=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2026%2F05%2Fsl-man-trend-report-earbale-200526-credit-raybanmeta.jpg) ](https://www.ray-ban.com/uk/ray-ban-meta-ai-glasses) @RayBanMeta ## What’s going on? In January, Samuel Ross – the designer who founded British streetwear label [A-COLD-WALL\*](https://www.a-cold-wall.com/) – was announced as the new global creative director of Whoop, the wearable tech brand. He arrives with the wearables market surging. Whoop’s own market valuation has just exceeded $10bn, while a recent Business of Fashion & McKinsey report suggests the smart eyewear sector could be worth more than $30 billion by 2030. The commercial case for a full-blown Fashion x Tech crossover is now hard to ignore. A question this raises is: will it produce anything worth wearing? Back in 2013, Google Glass was ridiculed for its looks. From 2017, Levi’s and Google spent years pushing interactive Jacquard truckers that never caught on. In 2024, Humane’s AI Pin promised to bring AI tools into daily life via a digital brooch, but flopped. However, the appetite for wearables is bigger now, the tech has got better, and the result could be different this time. [Oakley Metas](https://www.meta.com/gb/ai-glasses/oakley-meta-vanguard-glasses/) have already given ravers and runners the opportunity to film while wearing something they’re happy to be seen in. [Neurable x Master & Dynamic](https://www.neurable.com/news/neurable-and-master-dynamic-mw75-neuro-smart-headphones-track-you-brainwaves) is a collab that has produced a stylish pair of AI-powered cans that can measure cognitive performance, detect burnout and optimise your working patterns. The longstanding [Hermès x Apple Watch ](https://www.hermes.com/uk/en/category/watches/apple-watch-hermes/#%7C)collaboration has shown how an everyday wearable can be elevated, even while it remains quite obviously a smartwatch. Now, the sleek Garmin [Vivomove](https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/662825/pn/010-02240-01/) hybridises performance features with a more traditional dial, while the alluring designs of Amsterdam’s [NOWATCH](https://nowatch.com/) give basically no indication of the tech behind them. [Ganance’s Heir](https://ganance.com/products/ganance-heir-reservation?srsltid=AfmBOoooJEMr7730WHMyiABRkCFNi5bYUPG-j1gnxOIqqGttAhwX7P_J) might be the logical conclusion of all this: a pad with health tracking features that you’ll be able to place on the back of any watch, instantly making it smart. Granted, there’s work to be done on the Heir’s capabilities, but its existence suggests stealth is a possible route to stylishness. [ ![](https://media.slman.com/MvRzIh3p4T3OyK7iwV_wQlxs5A0=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2026%2F05%2Fsl-man-whoop-small-landscape.jpg) ](https://www.whoop.com/gb/en/) Whoop ## Why now? Historically, style couldn’t be further from the interests of Silicon Valley – remember it was Zuckerberg et al who ushered in the hoodie-clad, basement-coder CEO aesthetic. However, in the wake of AI, the tech industry has begun to put a higher value on different human attributes. OpenAI president Greg Brockman has [tweeted](https://x.com/gdb/status/2023481258639286401) that “taste is a new core skill”. Sure enough, Palantir has dropped [chore jacket merch](https://store.palantir.com/), while Anthropic has done [caps](https://www.facebook.com/AnthropicAI/videos/thinking-caps-on-limited-stock-come-early/819557767659737/). Neither was previously known for its interest in aesthetics. As the latest battleground in consumer tech, wearables also happen to be a front where taste is a difference maker – and where the fashion industry’s deep design expertise could be decisive. Whoop CEO Will Ahmed has always put it plainly: “Wearable technology needs to be invisible or it needs to be cool.” For his [first collection](https://shop.whoop.com/us/en/samuelross/products/project-terrain-mens-jacket/?sku=810114365465) for the brand, Samuel Ross has leaned into invisibility. Pieces present as street-worthy performance wear, with hidden pockets for Whoop’s Any-Wear Pods. [ ![](https://media.slman.com/lBGAT6o9RiieZa1NwxXtFoZ8Bkw=/1920x0/smart/filters:no_upscale()/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2026%2F05%2Fsl-man-wearables-new.jpg) ](https://www.oakley.com/en-gb) Hermés; @OakleyMeta ## What happens next? Off the back of Meta’s success with its [Ray-Ban](https://www.meta.com/gb/ai-glasses/shop-all) and [Oakley](https://www.meta.com/gb/ai-glasses/oakley-meta-hstn-black-clear/) collaborations, Mark Zuckerberg was front row at Prada AW26, adding fuel to the rumours of a Meta x Prada tie-up. For a brand like [Prada](https://prada.prf.hn/click/camref:1100l3Hiir/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.prada.com%2Fgb%2Fen.html) to be dabbling with Meta is perhaps the biggest clue yet that there’s going to be a serious play to make wearables stylish. Google also wants back in, and has partnered with Kering Eyewear. Smart glasses by Kering-owned Gucci are being readied for launch next year. For these collaborations to work, the products will have to be stylish, of course, but they will also have to speak to something deeper. Stealthiness alone won’t resolve concerns around Meta’s glasses being used for abusive secret filming or [Oura](https://ouraring.com/)’s data deal with Palantir. If fashion brands are simply lending aesthetic cover to these issues, they risk eroding the very credibility they trade on. For the world to fully embrace wearables, the tech sector must truly embrace fashion’s best values – of freedom, form, creativity and beauty. The wearables currently underway are likely to be stylish – just look at the names involved in their creation – but it’s going to need more than just nice aesthetics to be cool. [ ![](https://media.slman.com/yr-m83FSnnqmJn37FW3RFmjP3j8=/800x0/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fslman.com%2Fsites%2Fslman%2Ffiles%2Farticles%2F2026%2F05%2Fsl-man-200526-trend-report-wearables-credit-thenowatch-1.jpg) ](https://nowatch.com/) @TheNoWatch All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products. DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at .