Independent eyewear retailer Selima Optique has filed a lawsuit in the US which has challenged the validity of Kering Eyewear’s ‘Made in Italy’ claims made for brands including Gucci and Saint Laurent.
Filed at a federal court in Manhattan, the suit claimed Kering Eyewear ‘deliberately and falsely represent that their eyeglasses and sunglasses are “Made in Italy,”’ when ‘in truth, their products, or substantially all parts of their products, are made in China, and (at best) shipped to Italy for final assembly and packaging, and then exported.’
Selima Optique said it first became aware of a potential manufacturing discrepancy in October 2016, when it received a package of Saint Laurent frames and noticed one side of the frame was stamped ‘Made in Italy’ and the other was marked ‘Made in China.’
The company has asked the court to allow a huge class of other plaintiffs, including Kering’s domestic competitors, affected by the alleged wrongdoing to join the lawsuit and share in any monetary settlement.
Kering Eyewear denied all allegations.