Why APAC’s eyewear brands are moving beyond Gentle Monster

Blue Elephant, a budget-friendly South Korean eyewear brand, opened its first Beverly Hills store in August, bringing its total network to 35 locations across South Korea, Japan, and the US. The brand follows in the footsteps of luxury counterpart Gentle Monster, a 15-year industry veteran reshaping the global eyewear game with trendy designs and museum-like flagship stores. Following the cult popularity of Gentle Monster, a wave of Asian-Pacific brands is making a name for themselves beyond their home markets. On TikTok and Instagram, influencers increasingly share recommendations for labels such as Blackhead from China, Muut from South Korea, and Tudi from Thailand. The opportunity is substantial: the Asia-Pacific eyewear market was valued at $45.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $79 billion by 2030, according to Research and Markets. As the category expands, homegrown brands are proving well positioned to capture demand, armed with a deep understanding of local tastes and expectations for immersive retail experiences. Glasses demand on the rise There’s a practical reason behind the category’s growth. Myopia, or nearsightedness, has become more prevalent among children and adolescents across Asia, with South Korea reporting a rate of 96.5% among 19-year-old males in 2026, according to the Korean Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Among the same age group, Taiwan’s rate stands at 95.9% and China’s at 87.7%. By 2050, the British Journal of Ophthalmology projects that 39.8% of the global population could be nearsighted, with East Asia particularly impacted, citing the early implementation of formal education as one potential contributor. Against this backdrop, Statista expects the eyewear market in APAC to experience the highest growth globally over the next five years, with a CAGR of 8.1%. It identifies several additional growth drivers, including aging populations, rising disposable incomes, and changing consumer preferences. Already, glasses are becoming as much of a fashion statement as a functional necessity, boosted by social media and celebrity influence. This summer alone, Monsta X member Hyungwon was selected as the new face of Korean eyewear brand Reclow, Gentle Monster released its avant-garde “Veggie” collection fronted by aespa’s Karina, and just last week, Blackpink’s Lisa teamed revealed two special editions of Meta Glasses. Across social media, styles like Y2K rimless, cyber-minimalist, and jelly-acetate styles have also resurfaced, positioning eyewear as another expression of personal style. The case for homegrown brands While APAC consumers have no shortage of global eyewear brands to choose from, regional brands have two advantages: accessible pricing and localized design. Jason Chandra, co-founder of Project Soul, a premium Indonesian eyewear brand, told Jing Daily that nailing both price and design is central to the business. The average price of prescription glasses in APAC runs between $200 and $500, making people reluctant to upgrade frequently. In Indonesia, where the monthly wage in Jakarta sits around $360, that price tag hits hard, making a wider range of prices and designs more relevant to local consumers. “We wanted to make the middle [mid-price segment] much more interesting, to create fashionable eyewear truly fitting the Indonesia market,” Chandra says. But affordability is just part of the equation. Project Soul designs around the preferences of its consumers, from using cellulose acetate to ensure frames resist warping in Indonesia's intense heat to creating collections and campaigns with local icons like fashion label BYO and brand consultant Cissylia Stefani van Leeuwen. “Beyond the price, we craft for customers in this region,” Chandra adds. “From our crafted designs to how we communicate [through our products] and the spaces we create, everything starts with understanding our customers here. We believe that a global company can have incredible scale, but being close to the culture of our customers is something we deeply value.” Indonesian label Raito similarly caters to local tastes by blending modern streetwear edge and Japanese minimalism. “We design for Asian faces, but not one Asian face,” says Hermawan Chandra, co-founder of Raito. “Indonesia is incredibly diverse, and that shapes everything when we design. You can have the prettiest store, but in the end, it comes down to the frame you’re selling.” Turning retail into spectacle That said, it helps to have a pretty store. Gentle Monster is proof of this: parent company IICOMBINED reported explosive revenue growth from 2020 to 2024 — from 209.5 billion KRW to 789.1 billion KRW — with about 80% driven by its flagship eyewear brand. The brand is known for its museum-like stores, with Haus Nowhere Seoul boasting 14 stories of avant-garde installations, including a giant animatronic dachshund and a multi-sensory dessert and tea experience. Emerging APAC brands have taken a page out of this playbook. In November 2025, Blue Elephant opened a multi-level flagship store in Seongsu, complete with futuristic digital art installations, a cozy café, and a rooftop deck. Breezm, another South Korean name, takes a more technical approach, offering customers 3D scanning, AI-based style recommendations, and augmented reality (AR) try-on in stores. For local brands, brick and mortar is a powerful customer acquisition channel. According to Euromonitor, optical goods stores continue to play an important role in building brand equity and trust while offering professional advice and customized services, with the majority of sales expected to remain offline. A sunny future As younger consumers look beyond global brands for fashion cues, APAC’s rising eyewear brands have an opportunity to turn local relevance into a competitive advantage. “Younger customers no longer look West for their cultural and aesthetic cues,” says Moqian Sun, founder of UK-based marketing and consulting firm The Harvest. “They now embrace and share the styles rooted in their own culture, allowing local brands to craft their distinctive identities.”With Asian celebrities commanding a growing global stage, their personal style could also give APAC brands new channels for exposure and help local aesthetics travel well beyond their home markets, Sun adds. “Eyewear sits perfectly for this shift. As the most visible accessory on the face, it is highly visual, personal and social, making it a powerful vehicle for Asian aesthetics to travel beyond the region.” As regional brands gain traction across APAC and Western markets, the challenge will be building a globally resonant point of view while balancing the local cultural identity that made them distinctive in their first place.

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Why APAC’s eyewear brands are moving beyond Gentle Monster

How 2026 welcomed ‘Too Cool’ back