Zegna-De Rigo Partnership in the Eyewear Business MILAN, Italy, January 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ennio De Rigo, Chairman and CEO of De Rigo, and Ermenegildo Zegna, CEO of the Zegna Group, signed an agreement granting a world-wide license to De Rigo for the development, production and distribution of an Ermenegildo Zegna men's eyewear and sunglasses line. The new Ermenegildo Zegna eyewear line, which will feature exclusive design enhanced by original combinations of traditional and innovative materials, will be presented and sold starting in the fall of 2005. "We believe that the agreement with the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, one of the world's most famous and appreciated luxury menswear brands, significantly enriches our designer portfolio and strengthens our presence in a particularly interesting market segment with high added value." said Ennio De Rigo. "I am also convinced that this partnership will help promote Italian design excellence around the world." "We chose De Rigo as our partner due to its uniqueness and expertise in the eyewear sector," declared Ermenegildo Zegna. "This new diversification project has a twofold goal: to significantly contribute to the economic growth of the Group by further expanding our accessories business, and to complete the Zegna lifestyle concept through a coherent brand extension strategy, combining the excellence and tradition of its products with the current trends and sophisticated and cosmopolitan tastes of Zegna customers." De Rigo, which has been listed with the New York Stock Exchange since 1995, is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of premium eyewear, the major optical retailer in Spain through General Optica, one of the leading retailers in the British optical market through Dollond & Aitchison and a partner of the LVMH Fashion Group for the manufacture and distribution of Givenchy, Celine and Loewe eyewear. De Rigo also manufactures and distributes the licensed brands Chopard, Escada, Etro, Fila, Furla, La Perla, Mini and its own brands Police, Sting and Lozza. The Ermenegildo Zegna Group is present in 64 countries in the world with 437 boutiques (of these, it owns and directly runs 166). In 2003, the Group had a turnover of 601 million euro, with exports accounting for 86% of the total. More than 5,000 people around the globe work for the Group. DATASOURCE: De Rigo S.p.A. CONTACT: For more information: De Rigo Group Press Office: Savina Martinero Tel: +39-0437-7777 LookStudio: Elisabetta Colombo Tel: +39-02-89421870 Ermenegildo Zegna Group Press Office: Magda De Santis Tel: +39-02-581751 Metafora: Sergio Vicario Tel. +39-02-710-40091/+39-348-9895170 Maurizio Dessolis, Chief Financial Officer, Tel +39-0437-7777 Fax +39-0437-770727 e-mail:

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