TECH | Sunglass Hut and Ready Player Me Collaborate to Bring Digital Sunglasses to Avatars

A First-of-a-Kind Initiative that Merges Virtual Worlds and Physical Retail

NEW YORK–– EssilorLuxottica's Sunglass Hut, in partnership with avatar platform Ready Player Me, is proud to announce their partnership to offer digital sunglasses that allow users to accessorize their avatars, as a first-of-a-kind initiative that merges virtual worlds and physical retail. Starting on September 14, customers can visit select Sunglass Hut stores across the United States to claim free sunglasses for their avatars. Clients will be able to scan a QR code on the SmartShopper digital screens inside Sunglass Hut to redeem virtual Ray-Ban and Oakley iconic models for their Ready Player Me avatars.

The collaboration between Sunglass Hut and Ready Player Me marks a significant milestone in the development of virtual fashion. For the first time, avatars can now sport the latest styles of sunglasses, just like their human counterparts.

"We are excited to offer our customers the opportunity to bring their avatars to life with digital eyewear," said Giorgio Pradi, Sunglass Hut General Manager. "Our partnership with Ready Player Me is a pioneering initiative that demonstrates our commitment to innovation and to providing our customers with unique and engaging experiences."

Ready Player Me's avatar creation platform enables users to create custom avatars that can be used across multiple virtual worlds and gaming platforms. The addition of Sunglass Hut's digital sunglasses to this platform offers users a new way to express their personal style in the virtual world.

"We are excited to collaborate with Sunglass Hut to bring digital sunglasses from Ray-Ban and Oakley to our users," said Timmu Tõke, CEO of Ready Player Me, the parent company of Ready Player Me. "We believe that virtual fashion is a rapidly growing market, and this partnership will help us to stay at the forefront of this trend."

THE AVATAR EYEWEAR COLLECTION

PARTICIPATING SUNGLASS HUT STORES

California

• 3rd Street Promenade, Flagship – Santa Monica

• Disneyland, Flagship – Anaheim

• 356 N Beverly Drive – Beverly Hills

Florida

• Dadeland Mall, Macy's Flagship - Miami

• Disney Springs, Flagship - Orlando

Illinois

• 111 N State Street, Macy's Flagship – Chicago

New York

• Herald Square, Macy's – Manhattan

• 590 Fifth Avenue – Manhattan

• Union Square, Macy's Flagship – Manhattan

SUNGLASS HUT Founded in 1971, Sunglass Hut has grown into the best curated destination for the most sought-after high-quality fashion and performance sunglass brands, with more than 3,000 retail locations. Stores can be found in fashionable shopping districts across the globe, from the Americas, Europe and the Middle East to Australia, South Africa, China, Southeast Asia and beyond, providing consumers with a fun, highly engaging shopping experience in-store and online. www.sunglasshut.com. Part of the EssilorLuxottica Group, the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of eyewear.

READY PLAYER ME Ready Player Me is an interoperable avatar platform for apps and games. It lets you create a 3D avatar with a selfie and use it in 10,000+ compatible apps and games. You can explore virtual worlds in VRChat, join meetings in Spatial, or stream to your fans using Animaze – all with your personal avatar that represents you in virtual worlds. Any developer can integrate Ready Player Me into their apps and games using our free avatar SDKs and APIs. It's compatible with Unity and Unreal Engine and works great on the web, mobile, and desktop platforms. Learn more at https://readyplayer.me/