The eyewear market is buzzing as 2024 is coming to an end. Two Italian luxury labels have been especially busy in this segment. Valentino has dropped the first sunglasses model designed under the aegis of its new creative director Alessandro Michele, while the Prada group has renewed a major licence deal with EssilorLuxottica.

Roman label Valentino has announced the “advance preview” of the first pair of sunglasses developed by Michele. The eclectic designer, who loves to draw his inspiration from the 1970s, has designed a pair of round-framed, John Lennon-style glasses in new oversized proportions. The frame is made in lightweight golden metal with black acetate tips, and features Valentino’s V logo on the temples and nose pads.

The new model is part of the first Valentino collection designed by Michele, the Spring 2025 cruise collection labelled ‘Avant les débuts’. The sunglasses are available in three versions with lenses in different retro-inspired shades: dark green, amber and light green. They are already on sale for €490 exclusively at Valentino stores and on the label’s e-shop, and will be commercialised via select specialist retailers from February 2025.

In July 2022, Valentino inked a 10-year licence deal with Swiss group Akoni for the development, production and distribution of its eyeglasses and sunglasses collections.

The Prada group has for its part strengthened its partnership with EssilorLuxottica. The Milanese luxury group signed a first licence deal with Luxottica in 2003, and renewed it for 10 years in 2015. In the meantime, the Italian eyewear producer merged with French manufacturer Essilor.

The licence deal’s term was December 31 2025, and it has now been renewed ahead of its expiry, granting EssilorLuxottica the right to design, produce and distribute worldwide the eyewear collections by Prada, Prada Linea Rossa and Miu Miu until December 31 2030, with the option of a further renewal until December 31 2035, as the two groups stated in a press release.

In 2000, before teaming up with Luxottica, Prada licensed its eyewear collections to Italian producer De Rigo. At the time, the fashion group had set up a joint-venture company with De Rigo to produce and distribute Prada eyewear.