Gentle Monster
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| Gentle Monster | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Industry | Eyewear |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Hankook Kim, Jay Oh |
| Notable Personnel | Hankook Kim (founder and CEO) |
| Products | Sunglasses, optical frames, intelligent eyewear (with Samsung and Google) |
| Parent | IICOMBINED |
| Website | https://www.gentlemonster.com |
Gentle Monster (stylized GENTLE MONSTER) is a South Korean fashion eyewear brand founded in Seoul in 2011 and operated by the company IICOMBINED.[1][2] It sells sunglasses and optical frames, and its flagship stores are designed to look like art exhibitions.[3][4][5]
The brand's connection to extended reality comes through wearable technology partnerships rather than its own hardware. It designed frames for Huawei's audio smart glasses from 2019, its parent company invested in the AR glasses maker Xreal (then Nreal) in 2022, and in May 2025 Google named it one of the first eyewear brands to design glasses running Android XR.[3][6][7] Google then invested about US$100 million in IICOMBINED for a 4% stake.[8][5] Gentle Monster is one of two design partners, with Warby Parker, for the intelligent eyewear that Samsung and Google plan to launch in fall 2026.[9]
History
According to The Korea Herald, Jay Oh and Kim Han-kook founded I.I Combined, the owner and operator of Gentle Monster, in 2011; both co-founders came from English education rather than the eyewear business.[4] Samsung identifies Hankook Kim as the founder and CEO of Gentle Monster, and TechCrunch quoted him in 2022 as CEO of IICOMBINED.[9][6] According to The Investor, the brand launched with initial capital of 50 million won.[10] It became widely known in South Korea after the actress Jun Ji-hyun wore its sunglasses in the 2014 television series My Love From the Star.[4]
In September 2017, L Catterton Asia, a private equity firm backed by LVMH, confirmed an investment that made it the second-largest shareholder in Gentle Monster. The amount was not officially disclosed; The Investor put it at about 60 billion won (US$53 million).[10] KED Global later reported that the company first reached a valuation of 1 trillion won or more in 2020, and that IICOMBINED had 2024 revenue of 789.1 billion won, 38% of it from outside South Korea.[8]
Gentle Monster entered the Chinese market in 2016.[6] By 2026 it operated in 16 countries, with stores in cities including London, New York, Paris and Milan, and IICOMBINED's overseas subsidiaries in the United States, China and the United Kingdom accounted for 40% of the group's sales, according to The Korea Times.[5]
XR and smart glasses work
Huawei audio glasses
On 26 March 2019, Huawei announced a collection of connected glasses made with Gentle Monster, which it previewed at its P30 press conference in Paris. The frames put microphones, stereo speakers, an antenna, a chipset and a battery into the temples, and wearers could answer calls by tapping the temple. The glasses had no camera; TechCrunch wrote that Huawei was avoiding any privacy debate by leaving it out. It added that the glasses would not be available before July 2019.[3]
A second generation, the Gentle Monster Eyewear II, was revealed at Huawei's Mate 40 launch event in October 2020. It was also audio-only, with no display, and added pinch and double-tap controls, a diaphragm twice the size of the first model's, up to five hours of audio playback and support for both Android and iOS phones. It cost 299 euros and was initially available only in parts of Europe and Asia.[11]
Investment in Xreal
In August 2022, IICOMBINED invested US$15 million in the Chinese AR glasses company Nreal, now called Xreal. The round came five months after a US$60 million Series C extension, and Nreal said it would use the money for global expansion and its consumer business in the United States. TechCrunch reported that the deal could lead to Nreal glasses being sold in Gentle Monster stores. Kim said the investment was "exciting for the combination and exploration of the boundary of fashion and tech."[6] In January 2024, Road to VR still listed Gentle Monster among Xreal's investors.[12]
Android XR partnership and Google investment
At Google I/O on 20 May 2025, Google said it was "partnering with innovative eyewear brands, starting with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, to create stylish glasses with Android XR." In the same announcement it extended its Samsung partnership from headsets to glasses, and named Kering Eyewear as a future partner.[7]
The following month, KED Global reported, citing investment banking sources, that Google had signed an agreement to invest about 145 billion won (about US$100 million) in Gentle Monster and that the two sides were in the final stages of talks on a deal giving Google a 4% stake, at a valuation of 3.6 trillion won. The paper said Gentle Monster and Warby Parker were designing the glasses while Samsung led hardware development.[8] Road to VR and UploadVR both carried the report.[13][14] In February 2026, The Korea Times wrote that Google had invested US$100 million in IICOMBINED in June 2025 and had made it a key design partner for its AI glasses, with Gentle Monster responsible for product design and branding.[5]
When Samsung launched the Samsung Galaxy XR headset in October 2025, its press release said Samsung was also "partnering with Gentle Monster" on eyewear.[15]
Intelligent eyewear with Samsung and Google
On 19 May 2026, at Google I/O 2026, Samsung and Google showed two of the first intelligent eyewear designs, one from Gentle Monster and one from Warby Parker. Kim said in Samsung's announcement that the aim was "to merge fashion and technology in a way that feels bold, beautiful and human." Samsung said the first collections would launch in fall 2026 in select markets.[9] Google said intelligent eyewear would come in two types, audio glasses and display glasses, with audio glasses launching first, and that the glasses would pair with both Android and iOS phones.[16]
At Galaxy Unpacked in London on 22 July 2026, Samsung showed a second Gentle Monster design, a slim black frame with a straight upper rim and rounded lower edges. Samsung's hardware details for the line include a built-in camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 platform, and up to nine hours of use per charge with up to seven more full charges from the case.[17][18] Road to VR noted that the designs had no official names and that prices had not been announced.[18]
Gentle Monster sells the line as "Gentle Monster Intelligent Eyewear" and says the debut collection will include more designs than the two shown so far. Its campaign features the models Alex Consani and Anok Yai.[19][20]
Smart glasses timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 26 March 2019 | Huawei presents its first audio smart glasses made with Gentle Monster[3] |
| October 2020 | Gentle Monster Eyewear II revealed at the Mate 40 launch[11] |
| 25 August 2022 | IICOMBINED invests US$15 million in Nreal (now Xreal)[6] |
| 20 May 2025 | Google names Gentle Monster and Warby Parker as its first Android XR eyewear partners[7] |
| June 2025 | Google invests about US$100 million in IICOMBINED for a 4% stake[8][5] |
| 22 October 2025 | Samsung's Galaxy XR launch release mentions its Gentle Monster eyewear partnership[15] |
| 19 May 2026 | First Gentle Monster intelligent eyewear design shown at Google I/O 2026[9] |
| 22 July 2026 | Second design shown at Galaxy Unpacked in London[17] |
See also
References
- ↑ "iicombined". IICOMBINED. https://www.iicombined.com. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Nico Gavino (2025-06-25). "Why Google Bought a $100 Million Stake in Gentle Monster". Hypebeast. https://hypebeast.com/2025/6/google-gentle-monster-stake-100-million-4-percent-smart-glasses-investment-info. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Romain Dillet (2019-03-26). "Huawei announces smart glasses in partnership with Gentle Monster". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/26/huawei-announces-smart-glasses-in-partnership-with-gentle-monster/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Im Eun-byel (2018-06-10). "Gentle Monster looks beyond sunglasses". The Korea Herald. https://www.koreaherald.com/article/1695573. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Ko Dong-hwan (2026-02-13). "Gentle Monster sticks to bold design for Google AI glasses". The Korea Times. https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20260213/gentle-monster-sticks-to-bold-design-for-google-ai-glasses. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Kate Park, Rita Liao (2022-08-25). "Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster jazzes up China's AR startup Nreal with $15M funding". TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2022/08/25/korea-gentle-monster-china-ar-nreal/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Shahram Izadi (2025-05-20). "A new look at how Android XR will bring Gemini to glasses and headsets". The Keyword. Google. https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-xr-gemini-glasses-headsets/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Jun-Ho Cha, Dae-Eun Choi, Jong-Kwan Park (2025-06-20). "Google to invest $100 mn in Gentle Monster in smart glasses push". KED Global. https://www.kedglobal.com/tech,-media-telecom/newsView/ked202506200005. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Samsung and Google Give First Look at New Intelligent Eyewear". Samsung Newsroom U.S.. Samsung Electronics. 2026-05-19. https://news.samsung.com/us/samsung-google-first-look-new-intelligent-eyewear/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lee Ji-yoon (2017-09-07). "LVMH-backed L Catterton ups its stake in Gentle Monster". The Investor. The Korea Herald. https://www.theinvestor.co.kr/article/1440138. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Eric Hal Schwartz (2020-10-29). "Huawei Debuts New Voice-Enabled Gentle Monster Eyewear II Smart Glasses". Voicebot.ai. https://voicebot.ai/2020/10/29/huawei-debuts-new-voice-enabled-gentle-monster-eyewear-ii-smart-glasses/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2024-01-30). "Chinese AR Startup Xreal Raises $60M in Hopes of Competing with Apple". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/xreal-raises-60-million-apple-competitor/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2025-06-24). "Google Reportedly to Invest $100M in Smart Glasses Partner Gentle Monster". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/google-invest-100m-smart-glasses-gentle-monster/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ David Heaney (2025-06-24). "Google Reportedly Investing In Gentle Monster To Take On Ray-Ban Meta". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/google-taking-stake-in-gentle-monster/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Introducing Galaxy XR: Opening New Worlds". Samsung Global Newsroom. Samsung Electronics. 2025-10-22. https://news.samsung.com/global/introducing-galaxy-xr-opening-new-worlds. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Shahram Izadi (2026-05-19). "Intelligent eyewear is coming this fall". The Keyword. Google. https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-xr-io-2026/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Samsung Brings Galaxy Ecosystem Into Everyday Eyewear". Samsung Global Newsroom. Samsung Electronics. 2026-07-22. https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-brings-galaxy-ecosystem-into-everyday-eyewear. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Scott Hayden (2026-07-22). "Samsung Unveils More Smart Glasses Designs from Gentle Monster & Warby Parker Ahead of Fall Release". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/samsung-google-smart-glasses-designs-gentle-monster-warby-parker-release/. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ "Gentle Monster Intelligent Eyewear with Google and Samsung". Gentle Monster. https://www.gentlemonster.com/us/en/intelligent-eyewear. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
- ↑ Zoe Leung (2026-07-23). "Gentle Monster Unveils Second Google & Samsung Smart Frame". Hypebeast. https://hypebeast.com/2026/7/gentle-monster-intelligent-eyewear-collection-second-design-google-and-samsung-electronics-co-ltd-campaign-release-info. Retrieved 2026-09-29.