AREA98 SIGNS EYEWEAR LICENCE PARTNERSHIP FOR ROBERT RÜDGER BRAND

Area98 announces the signature of a twenty-year agreement with Austrian designer Rudi Himmelfreundpointner for the eyewear license Area98, in collaboration with the historic designer, will be in charge of design, production and worldwide distribution of this iconic Austrian eyewear brand.   At first, the collection, for men only, will comprise 15 ophthalmic frames – one of these available in a limited edition of 300 pieces also with sun lenses. The new Robert Rüdger collection will be launched in preview on the German market during Opti Munich.   For Germany and Switzerland, Wolfgang Segel will assume the role of Sales Manager for Robert Rüdger and Coco Song, the two Area98 luxury brands. At a later stage, the collection will be distributed worldwide starting from March 2015, after the presentation at Mido.   Founded in 1989 by the three Austrian designers Robert Hüttmann, Rudi Himmelfreundpointner and Gerhard Lahner, the Robert Rüdger collection immediately caused a sensation, marking the difference from all the other products in the market thanks to the eye-catching colors of its frames in acetate and metal. The unconventional tones, together with easy-to-wear shapes, helped to quickly extend the success of this made-in-Austria eyewear collection to all the German-speaking countries. Starting from 2004, Robert Rüdger was exclusively entrusted to Rudi Himmelfreundpointner.   “We are excited to start this collaboration” - Elisio Tessaro, Brand and Product Marketing Director of Area98 said – “Robert Rüdger marked a new era and changed completely the concept of eyewear from medical device to fashion accessory. Area98 has a strong company identity, above all in the German market where we are well-established thanks to our La Matta, Kaos and Coco Song collections. With this new brand we are happy to complete our offer and approach a segment of consumers – the male one – which was not included in our portfolio”. Rudi Himmelfreundpointner declared: “I am very glad that I have found the right partner, Area98, to be up and running again internationally. Thanks to the production and marketing expertise of Area98 we will be working together as a team to quickly lead Robert Rüdger to success”.   The Robert Rüdger eyewear collection will be available in Germany from January 2015 and in the rest of the world from March 2015.