O’Neill Sunglasses 2026 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Sunglasses 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: O'Neill
Interviewee: Lexy Edy

How was the sunglasses market overall in 2025?
2025 was a great year for sun sales across the Inspecs portfolio of brands but especially within the athleisure end of the market. A great early start to the summer and extended period of outdoor adventuring was brilliant for the market.

What new trends have you seen for sunglasses in board sports for 2026?
This season sees strong growth in the sports wrap offering. With a focus on the sports-lux vibe taking users from beach-to-bar with a blend of sporting functionality and lifestyle/fashion elements. The O’Neill 2026 collection offers a wide range of options when you want to push the limits and look great doing it.

Which segment of your 2026 offering do you expect to sell best and why?
Spots wraps, with their wealth of functionality and beach-vibe cool.
HYDROFREAK™ LENSES offer exceptional high-quality optics with 5 distinct features
ZEROFORM™ FRAME MATERIAL performance material is impact resistant, lightweight and flexible
PSYCHOTECH™ CONTACT ZONES rubber offers a sweat resistant dry grip

What new frame shapes and colours are in your 2026 offer?
Hot trends for 2026 include a Futuristic Focus
Single‑lens shield designs are one of the strongest futuristic signals for 2026. These frames prioritise:

uninterrupted panoramic vision
enhanced wind and glare protection
bold, futuristic aesthetics influenced by performance gear and sci‑fi styling

Seen consistently across SS26 catwalks and trend reports, shield sunglasses are now positioned as fashion-first pieces, not technical outliers. They’re increasingly styled as part of the outfit silhouette rather than an accessory. O’Neill have embraced the features of the future with ONS-9038 and ONS-9040. In line with emerging trends, these 2 visors lean into the trend for tech-driven materials being unapoloigetially on display. O’Neill are proud of the high-performance lightweight and impact-resistant polymers that forge these frames. O’Neill have also delivered on the futuristic brief for their sunglasses, with the ONS-Breakwater2.0. High on the sporty inspo, the front of this frame looks at home with the space-age couture styling theme for 2026

Which lens technologies from your 2026 offer are most in demand?
Rubberised touchpoints and gripzones are in demand for 2026 and increasingly part of the design features, drawing attention to their elevated functionality. Our lens technology is the trademarked Hydrofreak tech, featuring hydrophobic coating and scratch resistance both sides of the lens, anti-reflective and polarizing tech, made of lightweight polycarbonate, offering 100% UV protection. Featured in the ONS-Deepcurrent

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
A rage of display stands and point of sales material is available to support sell-through. Digital marketing material to enhance brand story-telling and we’re always happy to discuss incentives and additional marketing support with customers.

Key Products:

Ons Deepcurrent2.0:
High wrap sports performance model with fully adjustable rubber nose pads and double injection rubber temples. Available in matte balc and blue with blue mirror lenses; matte navy and lime with green mirror lenses; gloss clear crystal and red with red mirror lenses.

DCURRENT2.0

Ons Freeride2.0:
High wrap sports performance Supra with fully adjustable rubber nose pads and PSYCHOTECH™ contact points. This futureistic bit of kit is face contoured, with angular shaping to the bottom of the lenses to ensure perfect fit and zero slip. Available in matte black with silver flash lenses; matte grey and green mirror lenses; and matte black and blue with blue mirror lenses.

FREERIDE2.0

Ons Breakwater2.0:
High wrap sports performance model with fully adjustable rubber nose pads and PSYCHOTECH™ contact points. Sculpted and action ready, this is a shape that makes you look like you’re doing 20 miles and hour stood still. Available in matte balc with blue mirror lenses; matte navy with silver mirror lenses; and matte grey crystal with red mirror lenses.

BREAKWTR2.0