Safilo and ELIE SAAB Announce Their New Eyewear Collection

A nine year licensing agreement has been signed by the two masters of savoir-faire and craftsmanship

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Sep 01, 2015, 07:00 ET

PADUA-PARIS, Italy, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Luisa Delgado, CEO of Safilo, the renowned fully integrated Italian eyewear creator, and Elie Saab, the eponymous Lebanese designer whose elegant and romantic creations celebrate femininity and beauty, announce the launch of the very first ELIE SAAB eyewear collection.

The licensing agreement has been signed today and will run until 2025. The first collection will be available worldwide starting from January 2017 in a selected network of exclusive eyewear specialists and in ELIE SAAB boutiques worldwide.

The ELIE SAAB eyewear collection will celebrate the philosophy of its creators, with sophisticated designs and the finest craftsmanship, showcasing intricate details, precious materials and a lightness that is characteristic of the house. The collections will be crafted in Italy and Japan, using the most refined and qualitative techniques.

Luisa Delgado comments: "We are delighted to work with Mr Elie Saab and proud of his trust in us. This long-term partnership offers a unique opportunity to create, craft and distribute worldwide exquisite eyewear that represents infinite creative inspiration, timeless elegance and preciousness. With this new brand, we enhance our portfolio and open new opportunities for Safilo to play in the Atelier segment, as outlined by our 2020 Strategic Plan."

Elie Saab adds: "Creating an eyewear collection is a logical evolution that follows the development of our accessories line. In Safilo, I have found a partner of trust able to operate at the highest levels of sophistication, envisioning and then bringing to life my creative vision in wondrous frames of outstanding quality, with the finest materials and details."

About Safilo Group

Safilo Group is the fully integrated Italian eyewear creator and worldwide distributor of quality and trust, leader in the premium sector for sunglasses, optical frames and sports eyewear. Design inspired and brand driven, Safilo translates extraordinary design into excellent products created thanks to a superior craftsmanship expertise dating back to 1878. Internationally present through 31 owned subsidiaries and exclusive distributors in key markets – in North and Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific and China –, Safilo is committed to quality distribution in over 130 countries around the world. Safilo's portfolio encompasses proprietary brands – Carrera, Polaroid, Smith, Safilo and Oxydo – and licensed brands Dior, Dior Homme, Fendi, Gucci, Banana Republic, Bobbi Brown, BOSS, BOSS Orange, Celine, Fossil, HUGO, J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, Jack Spade, Jimmy Choo, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Liz Claiborne, Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Max Mara, Max&Co., Pierre Cardin, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tommy Hilfiger.

Listed on the Italian Stock Exchange (ISIN code IT0004604762, Bloomberg SFL.IM, Reuters SFLG.MI), in 2014 Safilo recorded net revenues for Euro 1,178 billion.

Contacts:

Safilo Group Investor Relations
Barbara Ferrante
Ph. +39 049 6985766
www.safilogroup.com/en/investors.html

Safilo Group Press Office
Milan – Ph. +39 02 77807607
Padua – Ph. +39 049 6986021

About ELIE SAAB

Elie Saab founded his own atelier in Beirut at the age of 18. Attentive service, refined silhouettes and a talent for embroidery propelled the young self-taught designer to present his Haute Couture collections in Paris beginning in 2000; ready-to-wear followed in 2005. Since opening a boutique and couture salons at the Rond-Point des Champs-Elysees in 2007, the House of ELIE SAAB has continued developing its ready-to-wear and accessories collections to accompany different dimensions of a woman's life. The ELIE SAAB universe expanded further in 2011, when the designer launched a signature perfume. A new architectural concept was revealed in July 2015 for the opening of the second Parisian store, located Avenue George V.

ELIE SAAB retains the innate elegance and femininity on which its reputation was built: elegant tailoring, noble materials and sumptuous detailing.

Contacts:

Press Office
Colette Guillonneau
Paris – Ph + 33 6 27 19 75 81
[email protected]

SOURCE Safilo Group