Thélios Expands Production Capacity with New Metal Eyewear Facility in Longarone

Thélios, the optical business of French luxury conglomerate LVMH, has opened the doors of its new production plant in Longarone (Belluno). With more than 215,000 square foot of floor space, the company will focus on the manufacture of metal eyewear.

Already in 2023, in the same location, the group acquired the former Safilo plant. Together, this brings LVMH’s production area at the site to 430,556 square foot, with a workforce of more than 1,300 employees.

Thélios was fully integrated into LVMH in 2022. It currently designs, produces and distributes eyewear for Dior, Fendi, Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Berluti, Bulgari, Tag Heuer, Fred, Stella McCartney and for its own brands Barton Perreira and Vuarnet.

Thélios designs, produces and distributes eyewear for Dior, Fendi, Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Berluti, Bulgari and Tag Heuer, among others

Thélios was born in 2017 as a joint venture between LVMH and Marcolin, 49% controlled by the latter and 51% by the French group. The company got off the ground with an investment plan of between €20 million and €25 million over five years and began by taking control of Céline’s optical license. Since then, it has been increasing its portfolio by signing agreements with the group’s other brands.

In 2023, Thélios acquired its first own brand, the French Vuarnet and, months later, it also bought the American firm Barton Perreira, founded by two historic Oliver Peoples executives for eighty million dollars.

Last June, LVMH announced the appointment of Ludovic Pauchard as the group’s new director of industry and craftsmanship and executive chairman of Métiers d’Art, the holding company that brings together the company’s key trades and supply chains. His objective is to drive forward a common industrial strategy for all the group’s maisons. His mandate includes coordinating the industrial managers of the various brands, designing transformation plans and protecting artisanal know-how as a long-term competitive advantage.