Essilor and Sàfilo have announced a ten-year licensing agreement for the design, manufacture and worldwide distribution by Essilor of polarized ophthalmic lenses under the Polaroid brand for use with eyewear products in general.
Polarized sunwear is recognized for bringing superior vision comfort, reducing glare and increasing contrast while maintaining true color perception and clarity. Although consumer satisfaction with polarized lenses is very high, this market only represents 20 per cent of the total sunwear market in the world today.
Essilor is convinced that there is an important need to raise awareness amongst ECPs and consumers about the need to protect their eyes from the sun and UV hazards. This includes promotion of all available solutions, including sun prescription and polarized lenses.
Hubert Sagnières, Chairman and CEO of Essilor, said: “We are delighted to team up with Safilo for the worldwide development and promotion of Polaroid lenses. The strength of the Polaroid brand is a key lever in drawing people’s attention to the importance of protecting their eyes from the sun and in growing the polarized category within the mainstream consumer segment. This new collaboration will allow us to bring together Essilor’s strong know-how and leadership in ophthalmic lenses with Polaroid’s strong brand recognition”
Roberto Vedovotto, CEO of Sàfilo Group, commented: “We are very proud to start this long-term partnership with Essilor, a company that has been driven by innovation in the development of lenses for more than 160 years. We consider this project an extraordinary opportunity for Polaroid not only to confirm its credibility and worthiness as a reference brand for the protection and improvement of eyesight, but also to extend its application to eyesight correction, in order to offer consumers throughout the world best-in-class products.”
