Brands
Lenskart sharpens its vision as Meller and Pop Mart join the frame
MUMBAI: Lenskart is clearly looking at the future through a fresh pair of lenses bold, playful and dripping with pop-culture swagger. The eyewear giant has announced the launch of Barcelona-born Meller in India while also unveiling a creative global partnership with Pop Mart, signalling an ambition to build a modern, culturally driven House of Eyewear Brands.
And the first taste of that creative fusion lands internationally: the Pop Mart x Lenskart collection will debut in Singapore in the first week of December, rolling out online and in select stores. Expect character-driven designs crafted for consumers who treat eyewear as both accessory and attitude expressive, collectible, and unmistakably fun.
Lenskart is no stranger to fandom-led frames. Its slate of cultural collaborations already includes Harry Potter, Hello Kitty, Pokémon, Dragon Ball Z, Superman and Batman, each one designing eyewear through storytelling rather than template.
The Pop Mart partnership extends that creative universe, tapping into global toy culture’s love for character-led fashion. For Lenskart, this isn’t just product, it’s a design playground for what the new generation wants to wear on their face, literally.
Founded in Barcelona, Meller has exploded across Europe and the U.S., powered by its bold silhouettes, street-inspired palettes, and a youth aesthetic that balances edge with accessibility. With over 700k followers and a thriving community, the brand is one of Europe’s most influential D2C eyewear labels.
Now entering India, Meller will be available both online and across Lenskart’s retail network starting with ~500 curated stores chosen via GeoIQ intelligence, mapping high fashion-affinity catchments across the country.
Lenskart’s evolving portfolio now includes John Jacobs, Owndays, Meller, and a suite of character collaborations from Dragon Ball Z to Pop Mart, forming a design-led premium ecosystem crafted around individuality and global style cues.
On the tech front, it is also partnering with Tokai and Rodenstock, both known for high-precision lens innovation signalling that design and technology will grow hand-in-hand.
“Our customers inspire every decision we make… Meller’s bold aesthetic and strong community make it a wonderful addition to our House of Brands,” said Lenskart co-founder & CEO Peyush Bansal. He added that collaborations like Pop Mart allow the brand to “bring moments of play, imagination and collectability into eyewear”.
His broader vision is clear: Lenskart sees itself not merely as a retailer but as an enabler for the next generation of eyewear brands, giving them distribution scale, a full-stack supply chain, and a platform that already spans India and beyond.
Backed by Lenskart’s manufacturing muscle, design ecosystem and technology capabilities, partner brands can now plug into a system built to scale. It’s the same model that has made multi-brand eyewear platforms reshape global eyewear trends and Lenskart clearly believes India can be the next epicentre.
With Meller’s youth edge, Pop Mart’s cultural playfulness, and Lenskart’s distribution footprint, the company is steadily assembling a premium portfolio that mirrors how young consumers shop: visually, emotionally, and globally.
As the eyewear market shifts from function-first to culture-first, Lenskart seems determined to keep its eye firmly on the style horizon and ensure the world sees the change coming.
Brands
AI becomes key tool for Indian travellers, Agoda report finds
68 per cent plan to use AI for trips as 33 per cent already rely on it.
MUMBAI: Holiday planning is getting a software upgrade less “Where should we go?” and more “What does the algorithm say?” Indian travellers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to map their journeys, with new data from Agoda’s 2026 Travel Outlook Report suggesting that AI is fast becoming central to how trips are imagined, planned and booked.
While 33 per cent of respondents said they already use AI tools for travel planning, a far larger 68 per cent indicated they are likely to rely on it for their next trip pointing to a sharp acceleration in adoption in a market already comfortable with digital-first travel.
What travellers want from AI, however, goes well beyond basic search. The report shows 38 per cent are looking for recommendations on local attractions and activities, while 37 per cent expect personalised itineraries. Destination discovery remains a key use case at 29 per cent, with dining suggestions (23 per cent) and budget management (22 per cent) also emerging as practical applications.
The shift reflects a broader change in expectations AI is no longer a novelty but a planning companion expected to work across every stage of the journey, from inspiration to execution.
Trust levels appear to be keeping pace. Nearly 88 per cent of respondents said they either trust or feel neutral about AI-generated recommendations, including 53 per cent who expressed clear confidence. This builds on earlier trends, with Agoda’s 2025 survey showing nine in ten Indian travellers already using apps to book travel suggesting AI adoption is more evolution than disruption.
The company has been testing this appetite through initiatives such as its 2025 AI-powered Vacation Planner campaign, which generated customised itineraries and visuals based on user inputs, delivered with a layer of celebrity-led engagement.
For platforms like Agoda, which aggregates more than 6 million properties, over 130,000 flight routes and 300,000 travel activities, AI offers a way to navigate scale without overwhelming users turning abundance into relevance.
As AI continues to embed itself into everyday decision-making, India is emerging as a market where travel planning is not just going digital, but decisively intelligent.
