SAFILO AND SWATCH ENTER COLLABORATION AGREEMENT FOR EYEWEAR

Italian eyewear creator Safilo and Swatch Ltd have signed a five-year collaboration agreement for Swatch-branded eyewear. The first collection, Swatch The Eyes, will be launched in spring 2016 and – as fun, provocative and smile inducing as ever.

Swatch The Eyes will be distributed through Swatch’s global retail network and initially in Safilo’s U.S. retail chain, Solstice, followed by selected North American eyewear retailers. The campaign will be supported by the “I ALWAYS WANT MORE LOOKS” Swatch advertising campaign.

“This partnership represents a further milestone in our 2020 strategic plan,” said Safilo CEO Luisa Delgado. “We are adding an iconic brand to our portfolio, complementing our presence in the vast and fast growing Mass Cool consumer segment with a unique proposition that leverages the smart, playful, innovative DNA of Swatch. We feel privileged to become stewards of the Swatch brand, and to apply its philosophy in eyewear.”

Nick Hayek, president of Swatch, said, “Recreating a success story in eyewear via the reinterpretation of the category is an exciting challenge. Swatch is globally recognized as a lifestyle brand, expressive and meaningful in the way it captures trends and emotions: beyond timepieces, eyewear also belongs to those product categories that customers enjoy because they merge fun, style and quality. Safilo is a quality partner offering the highest quality craftsmanship and we are happy to join forces with them.”