Julbo Sunglasses

They are made with the thinnest optical glass lenses in the world, which also contain a secret combination of rare earth elements to provide extreme levels of contrast and clarity, on top of being polarised, anti-glare, resistant to grease, water and infra-red light heating. And the hypoallergenic, celluloid frame has been polished over days using various kinds of wood chips and then hand-assembled. They are, of course, sunglasses.

But these, the first from the Italian luxury goods company Loro Piana, carry a price tag of more than Dh5,000. "The problem in explaining why, is getting across the level of technology," says the company's co-managing director Sergio Loro Piana, also a keen pilot.