Safilo Group Strikes Gold with Strategic Blend of Home and Licensed Brands

For the past 90 years, Safilo Group has been a major player within the eyewear industry – creating, producing and distributing sunglasses, prescription frames, outdoor eyewear, goggles and helmets, while it continues to evolve through its digital hubs in Padua, Italy and Portland. The brands within
Safilo Group
encompass both licensees and home brands.

With a data-driven approach, the eyewear company’s home brands have been crucial to the Italian Group’s success – with Carrera, Smith, Polaroid and Blenders Eyewear being its leading brands. Global fashion brands that makeup its portfolio of licensees include Boss, Carolina Herrera, Dsquared2, Etro, Fossil, Hugo, Isabel Marant, Juicy Couture, Kate Spade, Kurt Geiger, Levi’s, Liz Claiborne, Love Moschino, Marc Jacobs, Missoni, Moschino, Pierre Cardin, Ports, Stuart Weitzman, Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy Jeans and Under Armour.

In May 2024, the group acquire the perpetual license for Eyewear by David Beckham, which has become one of the most successful within Safilo’s arsenal of brands in recent years. Acknowledging the turning point for the company after acquiring the license, Angelo Trocchia, chief executive officer of Safilo Group, said that the brand became a long-term asset within Safilo Group’s brand portfolio which “complements its core home brands.” The license acquisition has brought Safilo Group a 50/50 split of business between its home and licensed brands.

“The 50/50 split between home brands and licensed brands represents a major milestone in Safilo’s strategic transformation,” Trocchia told Fairchild Studio. “Historically reliant on licenses, Safilo began a portfolio overhaul in 2019 to strengthen its home brands and develop a more diversified and sustainable licensing strategy.”

Moreover, he said, the well balanced business model has positioned its home brands to play an even bigger role in the Group’s growth.

“This strategically diversified approach provides us with greater brand resilience, reduced dependency on third-party agreements and improved long-term business visibility,” said Trocchia. “On one hand, owning a strong set of home brands enhances control, profitability and stability. On the other, maintaining a well-balanced license portfolio allows us to address a wide range of consumer segments and market trends.”

Notably, between 2023 and early 2025, Safilo Group has renewed all of its key licenses including Kate Spade, Tommy Hilfiger, Boss and Marc Jacobs, allowing for an expected five to six years of “unprecedented visibility on the licensed business.”

After nine decades, what has made Safilo Group a global industry leader is its agility in responding to evolving market dynamics and staying focused on consumer demands. With a data-driven, business model the company has merged the traditional with its modern vision of both innovation and responsibility. One key element of its data-first approach is its Trends Observatory, which analyzes global trends to help the design decision-making process and to align creativity with market gaps to create a strong and relevant product.

The Group takes a tailor-made approach to each and every licensed brand and their varying market positions, then focusing on each brand’s unique identity.

Trocchia also cites the company’s B2B e-commerce platform as providing ongoing success. You & Safilo, which launched in 2020 during the pandemic to offer its European clients the tools to boost sales, increase operational efficiency and elevate their quality of service.

“Safilo has remained a leading force in the global eyewear industry by combining over 90 years of heritage with a forward-looking strategy centered on innovation, brand diversification and customer centricity,” said Trocchia. “By leveraging a balanced brand portfolio, long-standing industry expertise and a commitment to innovation and service excellence, Safilo continues to lead and evolve as a global player in the eyewear industry.”

To learn more, visit
www.safilogroup.com