Why have sports glasses started to become a must - have for fitness enthusiasts?

The gear for fitness enthusiasts has evolved from watches, clothing, and shoes to sports glasses.

On Xiaohongshu, the topic of sports glasses has received over 20 million views. The content of the posts has extended beyond the initial outdoor sports. It has expanded to various sports such as cycling, running, basketball, and badminton, becoming one of the indispensable pieces of equipment in every sport.

The preference of many athletes and celebrities like Wang Shun, Zhou Qi, Huang Jingyu, and Wang Yibo for sports glasses in their daily outfits further proves the popularity of this new item.

Huang Jingyu wearing sports glasses

For fashionable fitness enthusiasts, glasses are the finishing touch to an outfit.

In an era where facial appearance largely determines fashion, wearing sunglasses can compensate for the tired look without makeup, the muscle compensation on the face during intense exercise, or the lack of proficiency in facial expression management for photos. With the high - end laser - polished surfaces in different colors, even a cheap windbreaker from Pinduoduo can look like the laid - back style of an experienced outdoor enthusiast.

Of course, beyond the aesthetic aspect, the functionality of sports glasses is being increasingly emphasized. For outdoor enthusiasts, glasses are important equipment for blocking ultraviolet rays and strong light, and different colors often have different functions. For basketball and badminton lovers, they can also prevent the risk of eye injuries from being hit by a ball.

With the booming sports glasses market, brands have shifted from competing in lens technology to smart glasses. Recently, Oakley and Meta have officially reached a cooperation to jointly develop smart glasses products. Xiaomi also launched its first smart glasses priced at 1,999 yuan last week, which can achieve functions such as one - click color change, cycling video recording, and AI recognition.

From a simple decoration to a functional piece of equipment, sports glasses seem to be transforming into something like sports watches, becoming a standard for daily sports and outfits.

When the trend of sports glasses sweeps through the sports circle

Glasses are creating a new craze in the sports circle.

In outdoor scenarios such as mountain climbing, creek tracing, and cycling, sports glasses have long become a standard. On Xiaohongshu, "seemingly a decoration but actually a magic tool" has become a high - frequency evaluation of sports glasses by novice outdoor enthusiasts. These few words sum up the path of sports glasses from an "obscure supporting role" to an "essential piece of equipment".

Now, this emphasis on glasses is also happening in more sports fields such as basketball and badminton.

Xiaolin, the captain of the school basketball team, once had his regular glasses break during a confrontation, resulting in stitches near his eye. Now that he has Oakley goggles, he no longer worries about such injuries.

"They are simply a magic tool for eye protection." Lily, a badminton enthusiast, started wearing goggles only in the past six months. Before that, she was hit in the eye during a mixed - doubles game. The opponent's excellent skills and great strength made her sensitive to light for a whole week. "With goggles, I'm no longer afraid of the opponent's powerful shots. I feel more courageous."

In professional sports arenas, the eye - protection function of sports glasses is even more convincing.

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, sprinter Ato Boldon wore Oakley OVER THE TOP and won the silver medal in the men's 100 - meter dash, which once triggered a fashion trend. Now, the habit of CBA basketball players Li Kai'er and Zhou Qi wearing goggles is well - known. NBA star Amar'e Stoudemire also wore goggles in games until his retirement after two eye injuries.

Ato Boldon wearing OTT glasses

The actions of brands also reflect the market's vitality. Established sports glasses brands like Oakley and Vuarnet are making more appearances at the Olympics. Roka has also frequently become a sponsor of the Tour de France and the Dakar Rally, demonstrating the increasing status of sports glasses in more prominent events.

Even cross - industry brands are starting to focus on this new market.

This year, the professional trail - running brand Outopia collaborated with Rudy Project to launch the limited - edition ILLUSION sports glasses, with only 300 pairs available globally. Adidas designed exclusive glasses for the Paris Olympics athletes, showing the attention of sports giants to this niche market.

ILLUSION sports glasses

A report from Grand View Research shows that the global sports glasses market was worth approximately 58.5 billion yuan in 2020. It is estimated that this figure will soar to around 73 billion yuan by 2025.

For sports enthusiasts, sports glasses are becoming essential tools for more sports.

Not just a fashion accessory, but also a performance enhancer

The irreversible development of sports glasses comes from their irreplaceable functionality.

When photographer A Wen took off her sports glasses for the first time while hiking on a ridge at an altitude of 3000 meters, sand and wind immediately filled her eyes, and the pain made it almost impossible for her to open them. "At that moment, I understood that these are like windbreakers for my eyes."

In addition to sand, wind, and possible impacts, the harm of ultraviolet rays is also a problem that sports enthusiasts must consider. As a skin - damaging factor, it can also cause varying degrees of damage to the conjunctiva, cornea, lens, and retina of the eyes, and is closely related to diseases such as cortical cataracts, keratitis, and ocular malignant tumors.

In such cases, a pair of sports glasses that can protect against ultraviolet rays becomes a necessity.

In today's market with product segmentation, different color combinations have different functions. For example, red and orange lenses are suitable for low - light or high - speed environments such as skiing and cycling; gold lenses are used to brighten the field of vision and are suitable for activities like night running at dusk or dawn. In strong - light environments such as beach volleyball, mountain climbing, and hiking, gray lenses are more appropriate as they can maintain natural colors and effectively prevent glare without changing color contrast.

However, practicality is not the only reason for the popularity of sports glasses. What makes sports enthusiasts willing to wear glasses all the time is their non - negligible role in fashion.

In the past, sports glasses were often associated with cool and tough people. Just like Oakley's appearance in "Blade" and "The Matrix", large black - framed glasses became an indispensable element in shaping the classic on - screen images of Blade and Neo.

Keanu Reeves wearing Oakley in "The Matrix"

But with the diversification of sports glasses, the fashion symbols they represent are constantly evolving.

District Vision, a brand that deeply integrates sports technology and spiritual practice, has launched small - framed glasses in the Y2K millennium style and science - fiction - themed products composed of titanium frames and lenses. Maui Jim from Hawaii brings a natural sense from Hawaii through bright colors, forming elements of mountain - style aesthetics.

District Vision's products have a strong science - fiction feel

In 2018, the French fashion brand VETEMENTS launched sunglasses in collaboration with Oakley. The avant - garde sunglasses with rivet elements on them showcase an extremely rebellious and punk style.

Oakley's riveted sunglasses

For sports enthusiasts, various sunglasses are like "painless cosmetic surgery" to cover up small flaws. Sports glasses worn on the head can make the head look taller; large full - frame sunglasses can hide the exhausted face after a hike or the shy look of an introvert...

Sports glasses are like a black hole for attention. Once worn, they not only exude a laid - back and high - end vibe but also significantly reduce others' scrutiny of makeup and outfits.

Is the future of sports glasses smart glasses?

The public's pursuit of sports glasses has stimulated the market's enthusiasm. After upgrading and innovating lenses and materials, major brands have finally focused on smart glasses under the wave of AI.

In 2023, ENGO Eyewear launched the ENGO 2, which allows users to see their running or cycling data on the lens without looking down and switch between different data display pages through gesture control.

Now, with the development of large - scale models, the intelligence of glasses has also increased.

On April 29 this year, Reebok collaborated with Innovative Eyewear Inc. to launch the smart glasses Reebok Smart Eyewear. The first - launch series includes four different models designed for various sports scenarios such as skiing and jogging. It can achieve functions such as AI assistant interaction, navigation, and music playback. In addition, it can also connect to a customized version of the ChatGPT model to unlock personalized training plan formulation and AI sports feedback analysis.

In May, Thunderbird launched the X3 PRO AI + AR smart glasses, which can achieve diverse functions such as scenic spot introduction, translation, map navigation, mobile phone companion, and color correction. It is also one of the world's first AR glasses to support visual Live AI interaction.

Thunderbird X3 PRO smart glasses

Just last week, Xiaomi also launched smart glasses priced at 1,999 yuan at a press conference. After wearing the glasses, users can wake up "Xiaomi AI Assistant" through voice to conduct real - time Q&A, translation, and scan - to - pay operations. In addition, the glasses are equipped with a 12 - megapixel camera, supporting first - person perspective shooting, which is suitable for scenarios such as fitness, cycling, and rock climbing.

Meanwhile, Oakley and Meta have also announced the joint production of smart glasses, which are gradually being launched on the market.

The innovation in lens technology has improved the functionality of sports glasses, enabling them to enter various sports. Now, the wave of intelligence may also open a new era for sports glasses, making them a daily device like sports watches.

With the continuous improvement of the intelligence of sports glasses, they are gradually breaking through the categories of decoration and equipment. In the future, sports glasses may become "personal smart devices for the next era", just like sports watches or even smartphones.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Jinglian GymSquare" (ID: GymSquare), author: Chen Wuhua. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.