Italian influencer Ferragni's woes continue as eyewear maker Safilo pulls contract
21/12/2023 17:42
ROME, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Italian eyewear maker Safilo
SFLG.MI said on Thursday it was ending a licensing agreement
with top fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni, who has come under
fire for misleading advertising on charity initiatives.
The multi-year deal for the design, production, and
distribution of Chiara Ferragni-branded glasses was interrupted
"following the violation of contractual commitments undertaken
by the brand owner," Safilo said in a statement.
Ferragni's press office did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
A source close to the matter said Safilo's decision was
linked to "good conduct" clauses invoked after last week's
decision by Italy's antitrust agency AGCM to hit Ferragni with a
fine of 1.075 million euros ($1.18 million).
The influencer was sanctioned as the regulator found that
consumers had been duped into thinking that by buying a
Ferragni-branded Christmas cake they were contributing to
charity for a children's hospital.
AGCM said that Ferragni was paid 1 million euros for the
branding initiative, but gave no money to the hospital, which
received a fixed-sum donation of 50,000 euros from the
cake-maker, not linked to sales.
Ferragni, one of the world's most famous fashion influencers
with nearly 30 million followers on Instagram, has been
pilloried over the affair, with criticism coming even from
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In response, the 36-year-old on Monday apologised and
announced a 1 million-euro donation to the children's hospital
that had been associated with the Christmas cake branding
initiative.
($1 = 0.9101 euro)
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini and Elisa Anzolin; editing by
Jonathan Oatis)
((alvise.armellini@thomsonreuters.com;))