Smith Sunglasses 2026 Preview

Retail Buyers Guide: Sunglasses 2026 Retail Buyer’s Guide
Brand: Smith
Interviewee: Taryn Ryan, Global Head of Marketing

How was the sunglasses market overall in 2025?
The sunglass market in 2025 has been relatively stable overall, but we’re seeing growth skew toward entry-level price points while premium segments face more pressure. For brands like SMITH that compete in the performance premium space, the opportunity is to continue demonstrating real value through innovation, lens technology, and product credibility. Consumers are still willing to invest when they understand the performance benefits.

What new trends have you seen for sunglasses in board sports for 2026?
The late 90s/early Aughts are having their moment across snowboarding, surf, and skate. Smaller frame sizes, wrapped styling, vibrant colors are all re-emerging. We reissued our archive style, the Sliders late last year and they continue to be a trend driver across sport and lifestyle in 2026. We’re also seeing the rise in timeless styles that harken back to surf culture, like a Wayfarer or Caravan shapes, that have an enduring appeal both in sport and streetstyle. For SMITH, we’re launching a modernized Wayfarer with the new Strand frame and our new Truss style is SMITH’s take on a Caravan frame.

Which segment of your 2026 offering do you expect to sell best and why?
We continue to see strong momentum from our proven top sellers, which remain the backbone of the business and continue to grow year over year. At the same time, newer introductions like Venture, Embark, and Pursuit have resonated strongly with consumers because they reflect how people are increasingly using sunglasses across multiple activities and environments. Looking ahead to 2026, we’re excited about several new introductions that build on that momentum — combining our core performance DNA with modern design and lens innovation. That balance of proven products and fresh innovation continues to drive the brand forward.

What new frame shapes and colours are in your 2026 offer?
Truss & Cipher build out into our new sport-style eyewear models, retro-inspired designs with modern technologies that provide performance during activities but maintain streetstyle appeal when worn outside of sport. Truss features a fresh spin on a classic shape with key hole nose bridge, while the Cipher is dual-lens performance style with a clean, rimless silhouette with modest wrap-around fit in a smaller fit profile.
Syncline is an a large fit, extra large coverage shield with a futuristic angular lens design.
Strand evokes classic surf style in a squared off, modernized Wayfarer frame design.
Westward CORE showcases the round lens trend that’s been popular the last year and continues to be a style consumers are gravitating towards.
New 2026 Colors: Salt Haze, Meteorite Crystal, Gravy, Gold Dust, Fathom, Flint/Tarmac Tortoise

Which lens technologies from your 2026 offer are most in demand?
Proprietary ChromaPop lens technology continues to lead SMITH’s lens technology for its superiority in delivering enhanced color, clarity, and definition of objects. Our recent evolution of ChromaPop Polarchromic and Glacier Photochromic lenses are gaining serious traction since their launch at the end of last year, and we see them continuing to grow in demand in 2026.

Have you introduced any new lens colours and tints in your 2026 offering?
ChromoPop Polarchromic Rose Blue Mirror and ChromaPop Glass Polarized Dark Blue Mirror

Any noteworthy sustainable practices in your production and shipping processes this year?
We continue to manufacture the majority of our sunglasses range from Evolve bio-based frame material as our commitment make consistent and measurable steps forward in reducing environmental impact. In addition, we’ve added to our CORE Collection of eyewear made entirely from post-consumer water bottles (debuted in early Spring 2022) with the launch of the Westward CORE sunglass this Spring. Smith has continued its commitment to environmental improvements with the discontinuation of plastic waste across new packaging eyewear (and wintersports) products. All retail boxes are now produced from post-consumer recycled cardboard that are designed to easily fold flat for compact storage for reuse and/or disposal.

What are your marketing stories?
Our core marketing story continues to be our Pursue Your Thrill platform. At its heart, it’s about the idea that sport is just the starting point — what really matters are the places it takes you, the people you meet, and the community it creates along the way. Whether it’s skiing, riding, fishing, or exploring new places outside, those experiences shape who we are. That’s the spirit behind Pursue Your Thrill, and it’s the lens through which we continue to tell the SMITH story

How are you supporting retailers to sell this category?
Staff training and retail support is incredibly important to SMITH. We rely on shop employees to effectively communicate our design features and technology benefits to customers and utilize several programs – including Myagi and Elastic – to provide training tools and incentives for promoting SMITH within their locations. In addition, we’ve added significant resources to our trade marketing division to support retail displays, graphics, and point of purchase opportunities to continue driving the SMITH message in store.

Key Products:

Syncline:
Offers goggle-like coverage in the lightweight fit and feel of a sunglass. The performance-focused eyewear features a barely-there rimless design with a unique, integrated bumper on the frame to ensure chatter-free interface when worn with a helmet. The addition of ChromaPop™ optics provide unobstructed, high-contrast vision for season after season of boundless adventures. Combining a hint of retro styling with adventure-ready features.

Syncline

Truss:
Truss is the do-it-all eyewear for sport and street wear with a fresh spin on a classic shape, offering ample coverage and ChromaPop™ lens technolgy. Features include removable TPU bridge piece for style and comfort, megol temple and nose pads for stay-put performance, and easy-adjust QuickFit wirecore temples for a customizable fit, with leash-ready temple tip holes and an included paracord for a secure fit.

Truss

Backcast:
Backcast is designed for on-water adventures offering full coverage in a 6-base modest wrap design and comprised of lightweight and durable Evolve™ bio-based frame material with strategic, low-profile frame chamfers to mitigate perspiration and moisture away from the lens. Additional frame features include Megol temple and nose pads for a non-slip grip, flex hinges for a snug, comfortable fit, and temple tip holes to add a retainer for extra security. Designed with glare-cutting polarization that enhances contrast and depth perception, the Backcast is available in a variety of ChromaPop lens solutions including Polarized, Glass Polarized, and Glass PolarChromic options.

Backcast