• Instagram Launches First Draft: Reels Can Now Be Edited in Seconds

  Instagram has introduced a new feature called First Draft that automatically edits raw footage for Reels in less than 10 seconds. The tool trims unnecessary footage, removes long pauses and combines selected clips into a rough cut, taking the most tedious part of the editing process off users’ hands...

• Why Are Luxury Brands Being Forced to Cut Prices?

  Earlier this year, a medium-sized Gucci Mercato leather tote designed by Demna for the Spring/Summer 2026 collection would have cost you $2,900. But in May, Bernstein analysts noticed a change: Gucci had quietly cut the price of the bag by around 20–25%, Vogue reports...

• Suit with braces: What the British Prime Minister's wardrobe choice says about him

  Fashion subculture, a nod to 80s excess, or a symbol of tradition? British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s wardrobe has once again become a topic of fashion debate after he appeared in public wearing a suit with braces, The Guardian writes...

• “It Doesn’t Even Cover the Nipple”: Influencer Mocks Kim Kardashian’s Microscopic Skims Bodysuit

  Influencer Remi Bader put Skims’ new Fits Everybody collection to a rather revealing test—and, judging by her reaction, she was far from impressed with the result...

• Gray Suit and Unbuttoned Shirt: Why Killer Luigi Mangione’s Wardrobe Became New York’s Biggest Fashion Show

  High-profile trials have captured public attention for over 130 years, and throughout history, the public has scrutinized defendants' outfits with equal fervor. Another confirmation of this is Luigi Mangione, whose courtroom appearances sparked a fierce reaction not only in legal circles but also in the fashion world, writes WWD...

• Gucci Breaks the Main Taboo of the Luxury Industry: Why the Fashion House Is Lowering Prices

  In the world of haute couture, it is customary to believe that luxury is immune to the laws of conventional business. While mass manufacturers fight for customers through cost optimization and dumping, luxury brands have always survived on pure creativity, exclusivity, and continuous price hikes, writes FT...

• "Feces" in Trend: How the Brand That Mocked High Fashion Became Its Favorite Enfant Terrible

  Today, it is a relatively young but incredibly popular fashion house experiencing its finest hour, writes The Salon...

• Chanel’s Triumph and Massimo Dutti’s Unexpected Breakthrough: Lyst Index of Hottest Brands Released

  The Lyst platform has published its ranking of the most popular fashion brands and products for the second quarter of 2026, highlighting the triumph of French classics, sportswear, and unexpected breakthroughs from the mass market...

Get ready for the comeback of wearable tech and a new chapter in the evolving relationship between fashion and technology. In the heart of Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue shopping corridor—stretching from Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co. to Saks Fifth Avenue, past Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, and alongside Harry Winston—Meta has unveiled a 15,000-square-foot flagship store.

Multi-level, featuring a 40-frame eyewear display at the entrance, several full-length mirrors, and even a mini café on the second floor, the space looks like a typical high-end retail store—but with one notable twist: the door carries no clothing, jewelry, or watch brand. It’s Meta. Yes, the same company behind Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Just a month after Mark Zuckerberg made headlines sitting front row at a Prada runway show, Meta signed a 10-year lease for the space, turning what was originally a temporary pop-up into a permanent Fifth Avenue destination. The love affair between fashion and tech—which has flared intermittently since 2015—is entering a bold new phase.

The Third Wave of Fashion-Tech

“When technology goes mainstream, it starts integrating into pop culture,” says Venky Ganesan, partner at Menlo Ventures. “And nothing is more culturally resonant than high fashion.”

Tech expert and venture capitalist Scott Galloway calls it “value swapping”: “Tech has too much money and not enough ‘cool.’ Fashion has too much ‘cool’ and not enough money. This is the perfect exchange.”

The wearable comeback is centered on Meta’s smart glasses, developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, blending tech features into classic Oakley and Ray-Ban frames. Unlike Meta’s struggles in the metaverse, the glasses have been a surprise hit: EssilorLuxottica reports over seven million pairs sold last year—three times the combined sales of 2023 and 2024.

McKinsey’s 2025 State of Fashion report predicts smart glasses will “rewrite the rules for wearables in 2026,” with sales potentially quadrupling. Rumors suggest Meta may also introduce Prada frames, joining other tech-fashion collaborations like Google with Kering brands (Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga), Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker.

A Retail Space as Experience

The Fifth Avenue Meta Lab features a skateboarding theme and Buddies Coffee Roasters on-site. The store isn’t just about selling glasses—it’s designed to “humanize” a company recently in headlines for 700 layoffs and lawsuits over algorithmic addiction.

Visitors can try on frames, customize cases, and spend time in the café—a tactile, human experience connecting technology with daily life. On a recent Tuesday afternoon, the store was bustling: couples carrying Louis Vuitton orange bags, Fashion Institute of Technology students, an elderly man asking Meta AI about the Dow Jones, and a Mexican family awaiting personalized eyewear all mingled, creating a lively fusion of tech, fashion, and community.

Fashion as Signal

“Ultimately, fashion is about aesthetics and beauty—but also signals,” says Ganesan. “Smart glasses, a Fifth Avenue store, an appearance at the Met Gala—they tell the world: we’re here. We’re meeting you where you are.”

Meta is leveraging the store as a strategic platform to strengthen ties with culture, technology, and fashion, marking a bold new phase in the convergence of Silicon Valley and haute couture.

Follow NEWS.am STYLE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram