The Australian cricket captain has deepened his partnership with Carrera, speaking with Insight about a new collection carrying even more of his own signature touches. For independents, it offers a powerful mix of sporting star power and standout style to attract patients and drive growth.
As Mr Pat Cummins tunes into a video call with Insight from the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to discuss the next chapter in his collaboration with the Carrera eyewear brand, the backdrop is a telling reminder of how far sport – and sports-influenced marketing – has come.
Behind him hangs memorabilia of cricketing greats with surnames like Taylor and Bradman, figures from an era when brand ambassador deals were rare, and commercial partnerships outside of bats and pads were virtually unheard of.
Back then, it’s unlikely a top cricketer would have been considered the face of an eyewear brand. Today, however, collaborations like Cummins’ new Carrera collection show the style of the Australian men’s cricket captain on and off the field can translate into meaningful opportunities for independent optometrists.
At the time of writing, Australia is playing a home limited-overs series against South Africa, but the premier fast bowler is sitting out to manage his load ahead of a huge Australian summer starting with The Ashes on 21 November 2025.
Typically, the SCG is the backdrop for high-stakes Test matches for Cummins. But on this occasion, it was the location of a second photoshoot for promotional images and video for the latest Carrera Pat Cummins Selection, an expansion of the inaugural range released in 2024.
These new promotional materials – featuring Cummins in optical, sunglass and now sports eyewear – will be found around the country on bus shelters, billboards and on optometry shopfronts, social media pages and websites. It’s all designed to drive sales and growth for practices stocking Carrera eyewear – Safilo’s strongest brand in the local market.
“It still catches me off guard when I walk past optometrists in Australia; they’re decent-sized photos of my face wearing Carrera eyewear,” says Cummins, reflecting on the success of the first collection.
“Most shoots are sporty or cricket-related, so a fashion-type setting is something a bit different, but it’s good fun. It’s eyewear, so I just stand there and let the product shine.”
It’s trademark modesty from Cummins.
But in reality, he’s considered one of Australia’s most marketable athletes. That’s why Safilo had an excellent response to the debut collection, built on the Cummins-Carrera shared ethos of defying oneself and unapologetically standing out from the crowd.
So for someone who probably turns down more brand deals than he accepts, what attracted Cummins to Carrera?
“I’ve always worn sunglasses on the field, and previously reading glasses off it, I live by the beach and wear sunnies all day, every day – and this is a brand that covers all of that,” he says.
“There’s also a very strong vision to bring an established brand into sport, and to then be involved in designing my own collections is pretty awesome. Working with an Italian design team from a strong European, global brand, as an Aussie, that was appealing. It’s something I haven’t done before, and I’ve enjoyed learning the process of what goes into making glasses and the design.”
There’s his own eye health journey too. From the age of 21, Cummins – a -1.25 D and -1.75 D myope with low astigmatism – wore contact lenses for cricket, and used to rely on spectacles for reading later in the day in low light when his eyes were fatigued.
“My eyesight wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t ideal for trying to pick up a ball that’s coming fast to your head.”
For Safilo and Carrera, it underscores the value of working with an athlete who not only wears eyewear, but understands its impact. As a global eyewear company with the agility to localise its strategy in markets like Australia – which has exclusivity to the Pat Cummins Selection – the collaboration has become a way to create eyewear with both cultural cachet and commercial value.
“Optometrists I’ve met along the way have loved [the collaboration],” Cummins adds.
“It’s a bit different to what other brands are doing. Here in Australia, people love cricket, so having that connection has hopefully helped to make it an easier sell in some ways.”
Inside the 2025 collection
The collaboration has gone to a new level with the 2025 collection, featuring even more of Cummins’ favourite, best-selling Carrera models, redesigned and customised with a limited-edition green colour featured throughout.
Plus, there’s a touch of gold on the lenses and temples, including his signature, a Pat Cummins Selection engraving and the Carrera logo, giving the collection distinction.
He’s had even more say in this latest collection, taking time out when in London for the one-off World Test Championship final against South Africa in June 2025 to work with Carrera’s designers.
The 2025 collection comprises seven models, including two pure optical frames, a sporty optical frame with clip-on green polarised sun lenses, two lifestyle sunglass designs, and two sport sunglass options.
“I love the inspiration we’ve taken from the Australian green and gold, there’s a hint of that dark ‘Baggy Green’ colour throughout, which I think works really well,” Cummins says.
“This time around we’ve got some optical, some lifestyle again. Then for the first time, we’ve gone further down the sportier route with two new sport-specific models that I’ll be wearing on the field.”
The on-field presence of Carrera is a massive moment for the brand. In 2025, Cummins has been foreshadowing the latest collection during the recent tour of the West Indies and playing for his Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL team in India.
He’s been wearing the new Carrera C-Sport 02/S/PAT, which will feature in The Ashes and future matches.
Available in two styles, it has a broad shield front that wraps around and comes complete with perforations for added ventilation. The lens is available in green/brown high definition or mauve/blue high definition options, both with 100% UV protection.
Eagle-eyed viewers may also notice him donning prototypes of a yet-to-be-released 2026 collection on their screens this summer.
“Part of the design process for the 2025 collection was choosing the lenses [for Carrera C-Sport 02/S/PAT]. We had a dozen or so samples, and I was matching them with a red ball against green and a white ball against green in different lights,” he says.
“Getting the lens right was a big thing for me, plus the comfort: I always like a broad sunglass for cricket, almost like a windshield, where it doesn’t bounce around and you can’t see the frame which is important because you need clear, unobstructed vision in the field. Those are the important factors for me.”
They’re important to his teammates too. One might expect Cummins to take a light ribbing over his newfound eyewear fashion status, but overall they’ve been supportive.
Though there might be an ulterior motive, he quips.
“If you know cricketers, they love a freebie, so there’s been plenty of eyewear going out. Last year, the team wore Smith, another Safilo brand, but now we’ve got Carrera sporty enough for on the field, so all the players and coaches have been decked out in Carrera,” he says.
While Carrera C-Sport 02/S/PAT will no doubt be worn during matches, he expects the new Carrera C-SPORT 04/S with a grey polarised lens to be his go-to sunglass away from cricket this summer.
From the original collection, he was “living in all of them”, but his favourite optical frame was Carrera 331 and the Carrera 8061/CS clip-on with polarised green sun lenses.
The ‘hands-on’ ambassador
For Safilo, the Cummins-Carrera partnership is about more than lending a famous face to a campaign.
“There are two ways, in my opinion, to use an ambassador,” Safilo Australia marketing manager Mr Matthew Bradshaw says.
“One, you can just have a hands-off ambassador – you use their name and their profile, and you try and sell more. But the way we’ve gone about it has ensured Pat has had a real interest. As he said, glasses on the field are a tool of trade, and off the field, he’s needed them as well.”
That authenticity has translated into the second collection with Cummins’ name, expanding from six eyewear designs to 13 and branching into sport. It’s also the only place worldwide where Carrera has broken tradition by introducing an exclusive colourway.
For independent optometrists, Bradshaw says the collaboration provides a powerful point-of-difference. Stocking eyewear designed with the input of “a figurehead of Australian society” gives practices not only a product with cultural resonance, but access to striking imagery for their own marketing, and signed merchandise to strengthen patient engagement and drive sales.
And from Cummins’ perspective, the journey with Carrera so far has been as much about discovery as it has been about design.
“This world is very new to me. I didn’t know much about optometry a few years ago, and I’ve really enjoyed learning how much actually goes into design, the quality, and the thought behind lenses,” he says.
“Previously, I’d just grab a pair of sunglasses for cricket and hope for the best. Now I understand how the right eyewear can impact performance, even confidence, out in the middle. It’s become a vital part of playing, just like my bowling boots.
“The relationship with Carrera keeps going from strength to strength, and I’m excited about where we can take it next.”
