Fendi and Thélios sign deal as eyewear license market heats up

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 1, 2021

LVMH’s Fendi has inked an exclusive deal with the group’s eyewear specialist Thélios for the design, development, production, and distribution of its eyewear category.

They said the partnership “marks a significant step for both LVMH Maisons, joining forces to enhance the desirability of Fendi Eyewear, establishing it as a leading brand in the luxury eyewear segment”.

The first fruits of the link-up come with the AW21 collection of sunglasses and optical frames that launch this month. It will be available on the label’s webstsore and in its physical stores, as well as via Thélios's selective distribution network.

Fendi CEO Serge Brunschwig said that Thélios, “in parallel to Fendi, is truly committed to Italian craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation. I'm confident that this new partnership will mark a successful new chapter of Fendi’s long history in eyewear”.

It comes as we've seen plenty of movement in the eyewear license arena. Only this week, Marcolin announced the end of its deal with Diesel and in May, Safilo bagged a five-year deal with DSquared2. Marcolin also gained the Max Mara license this year, while in March, Vivienne Westwood signed Mondottica International to design, produce and distribute its signature eyewear collections. Luxottica renewed its Coach deal last month, and Palm Angels and The Kooples have recently entered the eyewear sector for the very first time.