Safilo ends collaboration with Céline

Italian eyewear group Safilo has announced that its licensing agreement with Céline, part of the LVMH group, will end on December 31, 2017. The agreement covered the design, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of Céline's collections of sunglasses and optical frames.

The group didn’t offer any explanation for the end of the collaboration, just that the French label had been with the eyewear manufacturer since 2012 and represents just above 3 percent of Sail’s worldwide sales concentrated mainly in Europe and North America.

It isn’t all bad news for the Italian eyewear group, it also announced the continuation of its licensing agreement with Christian Dior Couture for both its Dior and Dior Homme eyewear. The new agreement, for the design, production and distribution of both brand’s eyeglasses and sunglasses has been extended until December 31, 2017.

“Dior eyewear has established itself as the leading trendsetter in sunglasses,” said Luisa Delgado, chief executive of Safilo. “This is the result of a remarkable combination of sophisticated capabilities, merging visionary product design, industry-leading technical expertise and innovation, along with authentic manufacturing craftsmanship and consistent qualitative worldwide distribution.”

Besides Safilo's own brands, the Italian manufacturer's portfolio also includes Fendi, Gucci, Elie Saab, Givenchy, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs, Max Mara, and Tommy Hilfiger.