MILAN – Swatch Ltd. and Safilo Group have signed a five-year agreement for the production of eyewear under the Swiss brand’s moniker.
The first collection of the line, dubbed Swatch the Eyes, will be launched in spring 2016 and supported by the “I always want more looks” ad campaign.
Codesigned by Swatch and Safilo, and produced by the latter in Europe, Swatch the Eyes will be distributed through Swatch’s global retail network and initially by Solstice, Safilo’s U.S. retail chain, followed by selected North American eyewear retailers. The line will be then expanded to other markets around the world.
“This partnership represents a further milestone in our 2020 strategic plan,” said Safilo chief executive officer 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 also reconfirm our commitment to European eyewear manufacturing now also for the mass-cool segment, enabled through smart design, innovation via simplicity of the product construction, and implementation of modern manufacturing processes,” concluded Delgado, underscoring Safilo’s “privileged” position in becoming “stewards” of the Swatch brand.
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In addition to its proprietary labels including Carrera, Polaroid, Smith, Safilo and Oxydo, the Italian company produces and distributes collections for labels ranging from Dior and Fendi to Céline, Marc Jacobs and Jimmy Choo.
“Recreating a success story in eyewear via the reinterpretation of the category is an exciting challenge,” said Nick Hayek, president of Swatch. “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,” added Hayek, highlighting Safilo’s “highest quality craftsmanship.”
A Safilo spokeswoman said the collection is “consistent with Swatch’s innovation in watches,” as it will feature clip-on fronts that allow for the change of shape, lenses and the look of the glasses, reflecting Swatch’s colors, patterns and prints.
“The ad campaign will help support this concept,” she said.
The spokeswoman noted that Safilo has developed an end-to-end production cycle in a “singular manufacturing site with 70 percent less impact of production time and 30 percent less components.”