Swatch to launch eyewear with Safilo

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 9, 2016

Swatch and Safilo announced on Tuesday a five-year agreement to co-design and develop creative, playful and lifestyle oriented sunglasses, scheduled to launch in spring 2016.

According to the agreement, the Italian group Safilo will develop and manufacture the eyewear in its European production network, and the collaboration will be called Swatch The Eyes. The products will be distributed through Swatch’s global retail network and initially in Safilo’s US retail chain, Solstice, followed by a selection of North American eyewear retailers.

The companies also plan to successively expand Safilo’s distribution into further markets, adding to Swatch Group’s own distribution network.

“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.”

Meanwhile, 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.”

The news of Swatch’s diversification comes as watch exports from Swiss brands continue their steady decline following the economic downturn of Hong Kong and China, their biggest market.