At the Silmo 2025 optical trade show in Paris, trend agency Carlin delivered a presentation featuring analyst Géraldine Bouchot and designer Thomas Zylberman, who outlined four cultural and consumer scenarios expected to influence fashion, lifestyle, and retail—eyewear included—through 2027. While not eyewear-specific, these macro-trends are highly relevant to optical retailers and brands looking to anticipate customer expectations and align product offerings.  

1. Precision and the Mathematics Era
We are entering what Bouchot described as a “hypermathematical” age, driven by AI, quantum computing, and large-scale tech projects. This emphasis on precision is reshaping aesthetics, from architecture to accessories, with structured grids, geometric repetition, and metallic brilliance. For eyewear, this translates to clean lines, modular forms, and designs that highlight technical mastery. Consumers are drawn to products that feel intelligent, orderly, and futuristic while still offering refinement.

2. Elastic Attitudes: Adaptation as a Lifestyle
In a volatile world, people are turning inward, focusing on personal well-being and adaptability. This “elastic attitude” reflects a balance between resilience and flexibility. In style, it shows up as malleable materials, draped effects, and designs that adjust to changing needs—foldable, portable, or transformable. In eyewear, this could mean lightweight frames, adaptable fits, sustainable materials, and multipurpose designs that flex with lifestyles.

3. Seeking Joy and Spontaneity
Younger generations report record levels of anxiety, making the pursuit of joy and shared positive experiences more vital. From the rise of creative social platforms to the global boom in pet ownership, consumers crave moments of connection and happiness. Design responses include playful use of color, tactile materials, and unexpected detailing. In eyewear, vibrant palettes, translucent finishes, and whimsical accents can capture this desire for lightheartedness and individuality.

4. The Virtual-Real Crossover
The presentation emphasized how digital culture increasingly shapes physical behaviors and consumption. Virtual aesthetics—filters, avatars, gaming influences—spill over into product design. For eyewear, this trend points toward bold shapes, iridescent finishes, and frames that blend physical function with digital-age expression, appealing especially to Gen Z shoppers.

Implications for Eyewear

• Design Direction: Expect demand for structured, geometric, and precise forms as well as adaptive, comfort-driven designs.

• Materials and Innovation: Sustainability and flexibility will be critical, with opportunities in recycled materials, 3D printing, and foldable concepts.

• Color and Finish: A resurgence of vibrant, gradient, and textured colors offers eyewear a chance to become a joy-inducing statement piece.

• Consumer Mindset: Customers want products that enhance autonomy, resilience, and self-expression while reflecting optimism in uncertain times.

By 2027, eyewear will be viewed as a canvas where mathematics, adaptability, joy, and digital culture converge.