German engineering meets luxury dad aviators in Leica and Mykita collab

Two German titans are working together to make some fairly sleek sunglasses. Camera and lensmaker Leica announced a partnership with eyewear manufacturer Mykita last week. Using the companies’ combined technologies, the collection will have two main subsets: all stainless steel or steel-hybrid materials, the latter of which will be 3D-printed.

The companies are pushing a couple of angular models that could be in a Top Gun reboot, but High Snobiety also snagged images of a more rounded pair. The collection will be available in June at Mykita shops and some Leica stores, as well as online through both companies' websites.

The partnership — The collaboration stems from Leica’s design studio in Munich and Mykita Haus in Berlin. Leica’s photography lens and sports optics experience influenced the 1.6 index lenses with an AquaDura Vision Pro coating. They protect against usual culprits like dirt and scratches while also preventing fogging and being anti-reflective inside the lens without a noticeable sheen.

The hybrid models will also have somewhat thick bars at the top as a way to mimic a camera hood. The whole project comes together at Mykita Haus where the lenses are individually and meticulously made.

Close to home — Leica is a brand name well-known by professional photographers around the world and has slipped into the mainstream consciousness in recent years thanks to its ongoing partnership with Huawei. Now that the U.S. has put Huawei in the doghouse and is pressuring Europeans to abandon the company's hardware, it seems like Leica’s looking in its backyard for future collaborations.