New eyewear collection Boucheron

Safilo SpA and Gucci Group NV announce today the launch of a new line of Boucheron branded eyewear.

The Boucheron sunglasses collection will consist of 4 luxurious and exclusive models designed by Creative Director Solange Azagury-Partridge and will be presented to the trade this month at Silmo, in Paris (October 17th-20th, 2003).

The main feature of the collection will be the temples of the glasses, made precious by an intricate, laser-engraved snake design and small Swarovski crystals running along the temple or stained arabesques inspired by the Orient.

The Boucheron line will be available in selected and prestigious eyewear stores around the world as well as in all Boucheron stores from Spring 2004.

Commenting on the launch, Domenico De Sole, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gucci Group, said: 'Solange has developed a beautiful collection that is fully coherent with the Boucheron brand image and product portfolio. Jewelry eyewear is a relatively small but highly profitable market, in which Boucheron, the first jeweller of Place Vendôme, has a legitimate role to play. I am confident that working with Safilo, our long-standing partner for eyewear (Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Stella McCartney) we will successfully cover this niche'.

Vittorio Tabacchi, Chairman of the Safilo Group, said: 'We are pleased about this development in our partnership with Gucci Group and the opportunity to work with such a prestigious brand. The new collection - which consists of a few precious and exclusive models - is positioned at the high end of the luxury eyewear market. The Boucheron sunglasses line will be presented in a few days while a line of optical frames will be launched in 2004. The distribution of the jewelry eyewear line will be selective and exclusive as appropriate for the Boucheron brand'.