Kering Eyewear and the Maison Cartier, owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont, have unveiled details of the Cartier Eyewear Spring Summer 2018 collection.
The collection was presented at the recent Silmo 2017 International Optics and Eyewear Exhibition in Paris and marks the official start of the companies’ licensing agreement, which was announced earlier this year.
The Spring Summer 2018 Eyewear collection is said to transcend Cartier’s signature codes to create ‘timeless’ pieces. Three main collections – Santos de Cartier, C de Cartier and Panthère de Cartier – aim to embody the brand’s heritage and combine emblematic features with a contemporary design approach.
The Spring Summer 2018 collection also introduces new shapes which are described as “redefining the art of eyewear” together with a strong focus on both craftsmanship and creativity.
The licensing partnership, effective 1 January 2018, will see the two luxury groups bring together their operations to create a stronger platform for the product development, manufacturing and worldwide distribution of Cartier Eyewear.
Under the terms of the agreement, Richemont has acquired a minority stake in Kering Eyewear, which has also integrated the Manufacture Cartier Lunettes entity in Sucy-en-Brie, France.
A statement from Kering Eyewear said: “A dedicated team at Kering Eyewear will ensure the new Cartier Eyewear collection preserves the identity of the Maison Cartier with a contemporary aesthetic. It will focus on the qualitative marketing and distribution strategy it has applied to all brands within the Kering Eyewear portfolio.”
Kering Eyewear Chairman & CEO Roberto Vedovotto commented: “We are thrilled to have entered into this exceptional agreement with Richemont. Our combined, highly specialised teams will be working to build on the incredible prestige of the Maison Cartier to develop and exceed the uniqueness of the brand in the eyewear category.”
As reported, Kering Eyewear’s parent company Kering Group posted a +23.2% rise year-on-year in third-quarter revenue (+28.4% like-for-like) to €3,925 million.
