Italian eyewear giant Safilo has officially terminated its licensing agreement with renowned fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni. The disruption of the multi-year deal, covering the design, production, and distribution of Chiara Ferragni-branded glasses, comes in the wake of what Safilo describes as the «violation of contractual commitments» by the brand owner.
As of now, Ferragni’s press office has not responded to requests for comments regarding Safilo’s decision.
Sources close to the situation indicate that Safilo’s action is directly tied to «good conduct» clauses triggered by recent events. Last week, Italy’s antitrust agency AGCM imposed a substantial fine of 1.075 million euros ($1.18 million) on Ferragni. The influencer faced sanctions as the regulatory body found evidence of misleading advertising related to charity initiatives.
AGCM’s findings revealed that consumers were misled into believing that the purchase of a Ferragni-branded Christmas cake would contribute to a children’s hospital charity. Despite Ferragni receiving 1 million euros for the branding initiative, the hospital only received a fixed-sum donation of 50,000 euros from the cake-maker, unrelated to sales.
The controversy surrounding Ferragni, an influential figure with nearly 30 million followers on Instagram, has attracted widespread criticism, including remarks from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In response to the backlash, the 36-year-old influencer issued a public apology on Monday and pledged a 1 million-euro donation to the children’s hospital associated with the Christmas cake branding initiative.
The termination of the licensing agreement adds another layer to Ferragni’s ongoing challenges, underscoring the repercussions of misleading advertising practices in the dynamic realm of influencer marketing.