Sunglasses block out light and protect your vision, sure, but they also let you place a filter over your life and shape how you're seen. Here are a few pairs that’ll let you do just that.
Oakley has never played it safe with eyewear, and the Plantaris SQ continues that streak of technical and design experimentation.
Reworking the original Plantaris into a square-lens silhouette, this updated version sharpens some of the more alien, amphibious curves without losing the futuristic energy that made the original such a standout. Popularised by now Chief Visionary of Oakley, Travis Scott, during his Circus Maximus tour run, the SQ version feels a crossover between the fashion and performance eyewear worlds. And why not? After all, fashion for the true enthusiasts is a performance sport.
Paired with its removable nose bridge, the Plantaris SQ keeps things modular, while the lightweight frame, ventilated detailing, and signature bi-fork temples make it genuinely wearable.
While bespoke suits and shoes are often praised as the pinnacle of personal tailoring, bespoke eyewear still feels foreign to most people. In an industrialised, capitalist system obsessed with one-size-fits-all convenience, Meganeya Strike reminds us that glasses were once made with actual human variation in mind. Not every face is symmetrical, and even subtle differences like the height of each ear can completely change how a frame sits and reads. Originally from Kobe, Japan and now available in Malaysia, Meganeya Strike offers a bespoke eyewear service centred on fit and long-term wearability. The standout feature to me is its traditional Japanese saddle bridge design, ditching the nose pads for a more organic, balanced fit unique to each wearer.
The most stripped-back sunglasses on this list, Ray-Ban’s Metal Collection feels like eyewear reduced to its core, almost skeletal in form. Now one year into his role as Ray-Ban’s first-ever Creative Director, A$AP Rocky refines the brand’s most recognisable silhouettes into something cleaner, slimmer, and more precise. After the louder “puffer Wayfarer” moment, this return to classic metal frames feels refreshing and quietly confident.
The RB3927 in gold may be the hero piece, especially the green-lens variant with its unmistakable ’90s cop movie energy. I love the old-school confidence of it. The all-black version, though, would be my pick. More brooding and melancholic, like something Andy Lau might have worn in Running Out of Time (1999), hiding in plain sight behind a pair of Ray-Bans.
Foldable glasses? I never really understood the point until I tried a pair. On paper, they only shrink down halfway, so it does not seem like you are saving much on space. But in reality, it is the small things that matter, like slipping them into a coat pocket or small bag without thinking twice. What is the alternative anyway, a bulky case or wearing them as a headband? And what if you are having a good hair, no-bag day?
For Gentle Monster’s 2026 Veggie Collection, the brand introduces a series of compact folding eyewear that balances function and design surprisingly well. My personal pick would have to be Ivy in tortoise shell. But regardless of your personal style, the collection offers enough variety for everyone.
Esquire Malaysia
©2026, Heart Media Pte Ltd
