When the world was obsessed with the idea of sober, Police decided to break the glass ceiling and ever since the brand has only continued to grow…
Police has come a long way from being Italy’s favourite to emerging as a global brand that combines fashion influences with the street style for a distinctive, seductive, but at the same time determined and resolute look. Launched in 1983 by the De Rigo brothers as the first brand of their company Charme Lunettes, Police is currently one of the stronger business units under the De Rigo umbrella. Originally, Police was creating eyewear for third parties. But soon the brand realized the demand in the market and did not hesitate to rise up to the occasion.
Police soon emerged as a brand identifying refined design and a strong image, inspired by the concept of American ‘on the road’ lifestyle. During the 90s it became a truly global phenomenon. Come 1997 and Police decided to channelize its efforts into diversifying. What started out as an eyewear brand was now daring to foray into perfumes. The move may well have been a calculated risk and seems to have paid off really well for the brand. The urbane glamour of the American culture soon became a popular choice among fashion connoisseurs.
Inspired by the success of eyewear first and watches later, Police took its bold design inspirations to other domains as well including bags, belts, and even apparels among others. Today, it has been more than 30 years since Police has been synonymous with big-name ambassadors, strong energetic style, and an irreplaceable urban charisma!
Where it all started…
Before Police came into existence, De Rigo brothers started by laying the foundation stone for Charme Lunettes in Limana, Belluno, a small company with just 30 workers. They used to manufacture sunglasses, frames and components for corrective lenses on behalf of third parties. The exposure was enough to germinate the idea of starting their own brand and so Police was born in 1983.
Police is De Rigo Vision’s house brand. It all started as a unisex eyewear brand before evolving into the lifestyle brand that we love today. Reminiscent of the care-free, bold and fun-loving spirit of New York, Police has carved a niche for itself in the domain of fashion apparel and accessories.
The fashion icon!
Looked down upon as an alternative, nonconformist and almost irreverent brand at the time of its origin, today Police designs are being lauded as a symbol of iconic fashion. Over the years Police have reinvented itself, going from a simple eyewear brand to a veritable lifestyle benchmark. In this transformation, the brand extended to include a full range of fashion accessories – perfumes, watches, jewelry and leather goods – all with a strong personality, and representing a particular look and way of life. Building on its growing identity and positioning, The brand offers designs that appeal to the young, authentic rebels, who follow the trends but seek to stand out with originality and flair. To put it simply, the brand enjoys an enviable loyalty.
Riding above fashions, Police creations are known to never compromise on personality, for its eyewear as well as the other products. Various eminent personalities like Bruce Willis, George Clooney, David Beckham, Antonio Banderas and the football star, Neymar Jr, have been brand ambassadors of various Police products in the last few years.
De Rigo was the first company of the eyewear business to use this format, which would then be repeated every year and be held in different countries. De Rigo became an international company, comprehensively and strategically covering different areas and market segments. Its acquired financial capacity allowed the Group to face an increasingly competitive market and to support major advertising investments. De Rigo opened its first production plant in Longarone.
Bold and beautiful eyewear!
In keeping with the latest trends and technologies, the Police women’s collection is designed for the confident woman whose style reflects her strong, bold personality. Cat eye or slightly squared shapes perfectly match the basic, ultra-lightweight frames in a range of colours to suit every look: from the brighter reds and greens to the more classic blacks and browns. The styles, in acetate or metal, are all distinguished by the iconic Police eagle logo on the front piece, an unmistakeable detail that makes each piece in the collection truly unique.
In the model SPL189, the slightly gradient lenses and cat-eye front piece enhance the female allure. The stylised take on the iconic Police detail, the unmistakeable eagle – a distinguishing feature of the new line. This is also available with a squared front piece for a bolder look in model SPL188.
A large shape and basic design for the new chic minimal sunglasses made entirely of opaque metal brings forth SPL190. In a perfect synthesis between functionality and aesthetics, the side hinge become an element of style because of the vintage feel that is brought by the small Police eagle wings. The coloured frame and lenses make this the ideal design for summer.
The current state
Police products are now distributed in more than 80 countries across all major cities. Since 2008, the brand‘s retail strategy has focused mainly on the Middle East and China, alongside the opening of 40 shop-in-shops in the most important Department Stores. These shop-in-shops embody the quintessence of the Police lifestyle. They serve to reinforce the brand image and its metropolitan attitude whilst presenting a lifestyle as a whole to the fashion lovers from all over the world.
Timeline:
1978 : De Rigo brothers founded Charme Lunettes in Limana, Belluno
1983 : The brand was launched.
1985 : After the success of the brand, another company owned by the De Rigo brothers, Argosol S.r.l., in Pieve di Cadore, was given the task of launching the second brand of the company, Sting.
1986 : Rolling, the third brand of the company, was launched.
1992 : Charme Lunettes merged with Argosol S.r.l. De Rigo was established.
1995 : By October that year, De Rigo ordinary shares were listed on the NYSE. A licence agreement was signed for the Fila brand.
1997 : The first fragrance of the POLICE FRAGRANCES line was launched. A new licence agreement was signed for the Etro brand.
2001 : De Rigo moved its headquarters and its registered office to Longarone (Belluno), and merged its two subsidiaries Dierre S.r.l. and Lozza S.p.A. which were taken over by De Rigo S.p.A.
2002 : George Clooney became the new face of the Police advertising campaign, while Gabriel Batistuta became the face of the Sting advertising campaign. The licences for the brands Furla and Tous were signed.
2003 : The first line of Police Time watches was launched.
2005 : The De Rigo family left the NY Stock Exchange. The line Police Jewellery was launched.
2008 : Police celebrated its 25th anniversary and presented its first apparel collection, Police Apparel.
2011 : Police re-launches one of the most iconic features of its history: blue mirrored lenses, a real must-have of the late ’80s/early ’90s, unique and trendy glasses for the eyewear market even after twenty
