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Review of the 2026 MIDO International Optical Fair and Outlook on Industry Development
- The 2026 MIDO International Eyewear Show (January 31 - February 2) kicked off as scheduled, coinciding with the Milan Winter Olympics. The two major international events echoed and empowered each other, becoming the most distinctive highlight of this show. As a weather vane of the global eyewear industry, this show gathered nearly 1,200 exhibitors, with "design as language, technology as core, and sustainability as context," and deeply integrated the ice and snow sports genes of the Winter Olympics, outlining a new blueprint for the industry's transformation. Breaking the singular perception of eyewear as "accessories," the show not only focused on mainstream design trends such as water-gloss transparency and original textures but also highlighted new professional eyewear products suitable for ice and snow sports, integrating core technologies like anti-fog, UV resistance, and lightweight design. Concurrently, drawing on the technological advancements of the Winter Olympics, it promoted smart eyewear from concept to practical application and upgraded sustainable materials, demonstrating the industry's strong resilience and innovative vitality under the empowerment of sports IP.
- Looking forward to the new year, the eyewear industry will move forward steadily with the popularity of the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics, following the direction guided by the MIDO Show. In terms of design, classic frames will collide and integrate with cutting-edge materials, highlighting the aesthetics of ice and snow sports. The main colors and sports streamlined designs of the Winter Olympics will be integrated into daily eyewear, and personalized customization and scenario-based adaptation will become core competitiveness. In terms of technology, relying on the mature anti-fog, anti-slip and lightweight technologies during the Winter Olympics, it will promote the civilianization of professional sports eyewear. At the same time, drawing on Winter Olympics-related technologies such as the cross-border interaction of Thunderbird AR glasses and the seamless experience of BleeqUp sports glasses, it will accelerate the popularization of practical smart eyewear and get rid of the "novelty" label.
- At the market level, the Winter Olympics have driven an upsurge of national sports, and the sports protective eyewear market has ushered in an explosive period. It is expected that the market size will exceed 5 billion yuan in 2026, the potential of the sinking market will continue to be released, and the consumption stratification will be obvious [2]. In terms of industry norms, the implementation of the new national standard has raised the quality threshold, promoting the industry towards standardization and refinement [8]. In the future, the eyewear industry will achieve in-depth symbiosis of "design, technology, sustainability" and sports IP, tap the value of sports scenarios with the afterglow of the Winter Olympics, shift from product competition to value competition, and move towards a new stage of high-quality development while meeting diverse consumer demands.