Safilo has put on the brakes when collaborating with Chiara Ferragni.
The licensing agreement between the Italian eyewear manufacturer and Chiara Ferragni has been interrupted. The design, production and distribution of a Ferragni eyewear collection are affected by the license agreement and will therefore be discontinued for the time being, Safilo Group SpA announced last week. The reason is the violation of contractual obligations on the part of the Italian brand owner and influencer.
Ferragni came under fire for false claims. Part of the proceeds from a pink Christmas cake ‘Pandoro’, also sold under their brand, which was created in collaboration with the Italian confectionery manufacturer Balocco, was intended to benefit the Regina-Margherita children’s hospital in Turin.
However, after investigations by the Italian competition authority Autorità garante della concorrenza e del mercato (AGCM), it became known that a symbolic donation of 50,000 euros had already been made in advance, although the project would have brought in around one million euros for Ferragni’s companies Felice and TBS Crew. The fines imposed by the false claims amount to around one million euros for the Ferragni brands and around 400,000 euros for Balocco.
In a statement on the social network Instagram, Ferragni cited a “communication error” as the reason for what happened. “As I have said in recent days, I will challenge the AGCM’s measure because I consider it disproportionate and unfair,” said the influencer. “My mistake was to combine, in good faith, a commercial activity with a solidarity one. Unfortunately, mistakes can happen. I’m sorry I did that and I realize I could have been more careful.”
Safilo only had one in July new CFO, Michele Melotti, appointed. The brand also has a number of eyewear licenses, including the Italian luxury fashion house Etro and the US fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger.