Swatch and Safilo Group announce five-year collaboration agreement

Biel (Switzerland), Padua (Italy), February 9, 2016 – Italian eyewear creator Safilo and Swatch Ltd have signed a collaboration agreement for Swatch branded sunglass Eyewear. Creative, playful and lifestyle oriented, Swatch The Eyes will be launched in Spring 2016. The launch of the collection will be supported by the «I ALWAYS WANT MORE LOOKS» Swatch advertising campaign – as fun, provocative and smile-inducing as ever!

Safilo and Swatch are to co-design eyewear collections and Safilo is to develop and manufacture the eyewear in its European production network.

In line with the global brand commitment to high quality service to customers, Swatch The Eyes will be distributed through Swatch’s global retail network and initially in Safilo’s US retail chain, Solstice, followed by rigorously selected North American eyewear retailers. Swatch and Safilo intend to successively expand Safilo's distribution to further regions across the world via an eyewear network of the highest standards, in addition to the Swatch Group’s own distribution network.

Commenting on the agreement, Safilo CEO Luisa Delgado said, «This partnership represents a further milestone in our 2020 strategic plan. 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. 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 emotion. Safilo is a quality partner offering the highest quality craftsmanship and we are happy to join forces with them.»