Jennie is Ray‑Ban’s new face
BLACKPINK’s Jennie has been announced as Ray‑Ban’s 2026 Global Ambassador and fronts campaigns for the Meta Blayzer Optics line — a major crossover that will push those sunglasses into mainstream wardrobes. (x.com). The campaign rollout has already generated heavy engagement on social, and fashion critics are flagging Jennie’s bold styling as a strong signal for upcoming accessories and eyewear trends. ( ).
Ray-Ban did not just hire a pop star for a photo shoot this week. It put Jennie at the front of both its main fashion line and its Ray-Ban Meta smart-glasses push, tying one of the biggest names in Korean pop to a new product family that Meta and EssilorLuxottica started rolling out on March 31, 2026. (ray-ban.com) (meta.com) The timing is precise. Ray-Ban’s own campaign page says Jennie joined the brand in 2026, and trade coverage published on April 9 and April 10 says she is the new global ambassador across Ray-Ban and Ray-Ban Meta. (ray-ban.com) (hypebeast.com) (thecoolhour.com) This is not only about classic sunglasses. The campaign also introduces the Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics Gen 2, a prescription-ready smart-glasses model with Meta artificial intelligence, open-ear audio, and a built-in camera, listed at $499 on the Meta Store. (meta.com) (ray-ban.com) That product matters because earlier smart glasses often looked like gadgets first and everyday frames second. Meta said last week that the new Optics line was built specifically for people who wear prescription glasses all day, with slimmer shapes and lighter frames in two new designs called Blayzer Optics and Scriber Optics. (about.fb.com) (meta.com) Jennie fits that strategy unusually well. The campaign mixes the new Blayzer Optics with older Ray-Ban styles like Daddy-O, Alix, Drea, and frames from the Asian Design collection, which lets Ray-Ban present smart glasses as one option inside a broader style wardrobe instead of as a separate tech category. (hollywoodreporter.com) (hypebae.com) Ray-Ban’s owner has been trying to make that crossover for years. EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant behind Ray-Ban, has been expanding its partnership with Meta, and its March 2026 release said the new Ray-Ban Meta models would be available for pre-order in the United States starting March 31. (essilorluxottica.com) Jennie also brings a very specific audience. She is one of BLACKPINK’s most visible members in fashion, and multiple campaign reports say Ray-Ban is using her to reach a younger global customer who already follows music, luxury labels, and streetwear as one connected culture. (designscene.net) (musicmundial.com) The styling choices in the launch are not random either. Coverage of the shoot points to 1990s wraparound shields, Y2K cat-eyes, sporty Daddy-O frames, and deep-red accents tied to Jennie Ruby Jane, which puts the campaign squarely inside the low-slung, late-1990s eyewear revival that has been building across fashion. (hypebeast.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) (hype.my) One concrete date is already attached to the push. The Hollywood Reporter says the Ray-Ban Meta Blayzer Optics will be available on April 14, which gives the ambassador announcement a direct retail handoff instead of a vague brand-awareness phase. (hollywoodreporter.com) So the deal is bigger than a celebrity endorsement. Ray-Ban is using Jennie to make two arguments at once: that narrow, retro eyewear is back in fashion, and that Meta’s camera-and-audio glasses can sit in the same drawer as your regular everyday frames. (ray-ban.com) (meta.com)
