LONGARONE, Italy—De Rigo Vision S.p.A. and Lanvin, the historical French luxury brand, have signed a licensing agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of Lanvin sunglasses and prescription frames.

“We are very pleased to begin this new and exciting partnership with such a prestigious brand as Lanvin, which is synonymous to elegance, luxury and high creativity,” said Michele Aracri, CEO of De Rigo. “I’m certain that with the creative guidance of Alber Elbaz and De Rigo’s expertise we will develop a new eyewear collection of the highest quality combined with the most exclusive production techniques.”

Lanvin, founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, is the oldest French couture house. Today, the brand is under the artistic direction of Alber Elbaz who manages all the activities of the house. Lanvin has 24 company-owned stores and 22 franchises, as well as 730 sales outlets. Additionally the brand has extended its sales network through its e-commerce site, currently aimed at the European and American markets.

“We are pleased to announce this collaboration as we believe in the great potential of transferring our creativity, DNA and heritage to the world of De Rigo eyewear,” said Thierry Andretta, CEO of Lanvin. “We will be able to approach this collaboration with a strong, recognizable product infused with Lanvin's emblematic elegance, refinement, timelessness and astonishing level of quality and craftsmanship.”

The Lanvin eyewear collections will be distributed through the De Rigo Vision network of exclusive opticians and department stores worldwide, as well as Lanvin’s global boutiques. The new 2012 collections will be available at retail in December 2011.

De Rigo S.p.A. is one of the largest optical retailers in Europe through its own companies General Optica (Spain and Portugal), Opmar Optik (Turkey) and Boots Opticians (UK). The De Rigo brand portfolio includes house brands Police, Sting and Lozza, as well as licensed brands Blumarine, Carolina Herrera, Celine, Chopard, Ermenegildo Zegna, Escada, Fila, Furla, Givenchy, Loewe, Tous and Victor Hugo.