 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| BIT: SFL | |
| Industry | Fashion,manufacturing |
| Founded | 1934; 92 years ago (1934), in Pieve di Cadore, Italy |
| Founder | Guglielmo Tabacchi |
| Headquarters | , Italy |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products | Sport and fashionsunglasses, spectacle frames, ski helmets and goggles, bike helmets |
| Services | Opticians, e-commerce |
| Revenue | €1076.7 million (2022)[1] |
| €58.3 million (2022)[1] | |
Number of employees | <4500 (2021)[2] |
| Website | www |
Safilo Group S.p.A. (acronym ofSocietà Azionaria Fabbrica Italiana Lavorazione Occhiali) is an Italian company that designs, produces, and distributes prescription frames, sunglasses, sports eyewear, ski goggles and helmets, and cycling helmets under its own five house brands and 32 licensed brands, including Smith Optics since 1996.
Safilo's products are manufactured in its own Italian facilities, with additional plants in China and the United States.[3] In the recent years Safilo sold or closed several of its plants,[4] Martingnacco, Italy in 2020,[5] Ormož, Slovenia in 2021,[6][7] and Longarone, Italy in 2023.[8] According to the 2023 Annual Report Safilo has wholly owned subsidiaries in 40 countries and more than 50 distribution partners in 70 countries.[3]
Safilo currently[when?] is the third largest company in eyewear. The company traditionally trailedLuxottica, laterEssilorLuxottica, as the second largest company, though slipped to third when bothLVMH andKering began manufacturing eyewear for its brands rather than having Safilo produce eyewear for their fashion houses; Kering Eyewear subsequently became the second largest in 2022.[9][10][11]
The first manufacturing site opened in 1878 to produce lenses and frames in Calalzo di Cadore, in the Venetian Alps. Guglielmo Tabacchi bought this production site in 1934 and founded a new eyewear company, Safilo, today the oldest player in the Italian eyewear industry.[12]
In 1974, the founder of Safilo died and his sons took over. In the 1970s, Safilo opened sales offices in various European countries, patented the Elasta hinge, and introduced a popular UFO model of sunglasses.[12]
In the 1980s, Safilo developed designer collections[13] and gained full control of the American eyewear company Starline Optical Corp. It subsequently acquired then sunglass-makerFriuli-based Oxsol and was introduced on the Milan Stock Exchange in 1987.[12] In 1989, Safilo started to produceGucci's eyewear, and extended to more PPR-owned (todayKering) brands such asYves Saint Laurent,Bottega Veneta andAlexander McQueen.[12][14]
In the 1990s, Safilo entered the Asian market, inHong Kong, opened branches in more countries in Europe,South Africa,Japan andBrazil. Safilo Group acquired the American sports eyewear maker Smith Sports Optics and Austria's Carrera Optyl.[12]
In May 2001, Safilo's chairmanVittorio Tabacchi (grandson of Safilo's founder) launched a takeover bid to acquire full ownership of the Safilo Group. Still in 2001, the company inaugurated its new centralized warehouse at its Padua headquarters. In 2002, Safilo acquired theSolstice Sunglasses chain in US, which was then sold in 2019 to focus exclusively on the wholesale business model.Roberto Vedovotto was CEO of the Safilo Group from 2002 to 2006 and relieved the group's saddling debt by selling 40% toCrédit Suisse First Boston.[12] The company returned to theMilan Stock Exchange in December 2005. That year, the Safilo Group made $1.1 billion in revenue and produced 2,500 new eyewear designs.[13] Roberto Vedovotto returned to lead Safilo as CEO in November 2009.[12]
In January 2019, HAL Holdings N.V., through its subsidiary Multibrands Italy B.V., increased its shares in Safilo to 49.8%. In 2020, the Safilo Group completed the acquisition of Blenders Eyewear and Privé Revaux, two digitally native brands powered by a strong e-commerce business model. The eyewear group also partnered withThe Ocean Cleanup to create sunglasses made with ocean waste plastic.[15]
Safilo owns its private collection about the history of eyewear and of the company.[16]
In January 2024, Safilo renewed its partnership withLevi's until 2029.[17][18][19]
House brands:[20]
Licensed eyewear brands:[20]
