Marcolin renews license with Harley-Davidson

By

Dominique Muret

Published
January 5, 2015

Marcolin and Harley-Davidson have renewed a multi-year licensing agreement for the design, production and worldwide distribution of sunglasses and optical frames, they announced in a statement, without specifying the agreement’s duration.

The agreement was originally signed by Viva International Group in 1994. The US company was bought in late 2013 by Marcolin, the license naturally transferred to the latter, which only had to renegotiate the deployment of the agreement. 

"Such action reflects the growth of Harley-Davidson's optical business in all major countries, particularly in North America," said the group. 

In October 2013, Marcolin, whose majority shareholder is the equity fund PAI Partners (since December 2012), acquired Viva International. Viva is the second largest American optical company with licenses for the likes of Guess, Glove, Catherine Deneuve, Marciano and Skechers. 

Marcolin, meanwhile, manufactures and distributes eyewear collections under license for several major brands including Tom Ford, Montblanc, Balenciaga, Roberto Cavalli, Dsquared2 and Diesel, Ermenegildo Zegna and Emilio Pucci.