While wearables have come in a number of form factors, the original wearable design that caught the public’s imagination was Google’s Glass. Despite the wearables industry moving forward at breakneck speed, the original impetus for the industry has failed to impress. While Google Glass has been at a standstill for some time now, its partners don’t appear to be stuck with them.

Italy-based Luxottica, which makes eyewear for Ray-Ban, Oakley, Chanel, Prada, and many other high-end brands, is jumping into the wearables market with an initiative to create fashionable eyewear electronics. In addition, the company is partnering with Intel to make this happen. Intel has been trying to find a way into the wearables and mobile business for some time, and sees partnering with a major fashion manufacturer as one way to do it. What makes all of this doubly interesting is that Luxottica and Intel are both partners with Google to make the next iteration of Google Glass.

Indications are that this is not just a lark – Intel and Luxottica appear to be ready to invest significant money into the initiative. From the press release announcing the joint venture, “This strategic alliance will push the boundaries of research and development to anticipate what smart technology for eyewear will look like in the future. The ultimate goal is to help pioneer that change and deliver smart, fashion-forward products that are meaningful and desirable to consumers.”

This appears to be just the kind of thing that might make eyewear electronics a success. It should be noted that while the functionality of Google Glass was novel and innovative when it launched, its fashion was not. As Luxottica founder Leonardo Del Vecchio remarked earlier this year, he would be “embarrassed” to wear Google Glass. A truly fashionable design could not only make it a best seller, but revive a relatively stagnant sector of the wearables market.