Havaianas to launch its first eyewear line

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Sep 9, 2015

Havaianas is diversifying with its very first eyewear line. The famous Brazilian flip flops brand from the Alpartagas group, which has expanded its offer over the past few years with espadrilles, sneakers and rain boots, is exploring a new accessories category, sunglasses, ideally matched with its famous summer ware.

"Eyewear is a strategic category with long-term potential for us," said Carla Schmitzberger, Global Director for Havaianas. For this new adventure, Alpartagas has created a partnership with Safilo consisting of an "eyewear license running up to 2021 and renewable upon mutual agreement," says the official press release.

The Italian group, the world's second biggest eyewear maker, will be in charge of the design, development, production and marketing of the Havaianas eyewear line around the world as of the second half of 2016.

"The idea is to start off with sunglasses, which will be innovative, colourful and fun, inspired by Havaianas' Brazilian personality," says Safilo, which is continuing with its repositioning in different segments.

After the agreement announced at the beginning of September for the launch of the Elie Saab eyewear collection, the eyewear maker, which lost its Gucci licence, is now adding a major brand to its portfolio, strengthening its presence in the, what it calls, "mass-cool", segment, where it already has its own brand with Polaroid.