40 years for a success story that speaks of courage, determination and an adventurous spirit. Police, the house brand belonging to the De Rigo Group - world leader in the design, production and distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses - has known how to evolve without ever betraying its own values, thus winning over generation after generation.
Police: four decades of history for an eyewear brand that soon became a lifestyle icon
The first of the Company’s proprietary brands was established in 1983 with the launch of the eyewear collection, which quickly became a success. Encouraged by popular public opinion, in 1997, the Police men and women’s fragrances made their debut - the first of countless collaborations that would see it become an established lifestyle brand, the only brand to have extended its offering to include watches (from 2003), jewellery (from 2005), small leather goods (from 2011), and finally clothing.
Characterised by its ever-evolving strong identity, sophisticated designs and iconic style, Police - from the very onset - found itself successfully interpreting the free and bold spirit of those who refuse to play by the rules. Witness to a constantly changing male universe, the brand now dilutes its ‘90s style by embracing a more contemporary key, where masculinity remains an almost ‘unexplored territory’, to be experienced and re-built following one's own nature and identity. Audacity and discovery have now become the watchwords for the Police man: a liberated and courageous individual, who always strives to be himself and needs the approval of no-one.
Police has always been synonymous with risk-taking. In terms of the brand’s style, quality, innovation, pioneering design and the exploration of new directions and partnerships.
The Police story recounts how the brand has always known how to re-invent itself as a new ‘society’ icon, introducing eye-catching details and variations on the theme each season, throughout all the various product ranges, but especially within its eyewear offering.
Many stylistic leitmotifs have accompanied the brand’s image from the very beginning - first and foremost the colour blue. A triumph since the ‘90s, when Police was the first to introduce blue mirrored lenses. A distinctive element, adopted later by all the Police accessory categories and even re-proposed in the very latest collections.
Amongst Police’s most unique stylistic features - in addition to the Gothic letter ‘P’ and skull - we find the evergreen eagle logo, a symbol of freedom and fearlessness, re-interpreted over the years and the protagonist of the celebratory 40th anniversary logo.
Present in more than 100 countries, owing to a far-reaching distribution network for all product categories, it is in Europe that Police finds its market of choice, with sales driven by the business in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, the UK and Portugal. Outside of the old continent, the brand’s most important markets constitute Asia - where Japan is one of the leading markets, followed by India, Korea, Indonesia and China - and the Middle East, with a focus on the United Arab Emirates. The US has also recently seen growth in distribution and sales.
In 2022, the Police lifestyle brand expanded on the growth that began in 2021, thanks to the perpetual success of the various different collections and key supporting investments. The year-end numbers reveal a 22% increase in value compared to 2021, a figure that brings the brand back to pre-pandemic business levels.
Police’s leading men
There have been numerous advertising campaigns featuring Hollywood stars of the calibre of Bruce Willis, George Clooney and Antonio Banderas. The brand boasts a special relationship with the cinematic world, also demonstrated by the many collaborations on action films such as Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Men In Black: International, The Batman and, most recently, Bullet Train with the fabulous Brad Pitt. Collaborations that have also inspired much-appreciated capsule collections.
The Police spirit also embraces the world of sport: from the partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team to collaborations with David Beckham, Neymar Jr., Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who have lent their faces so as to interpret and give a voice to the brand’s values, style and philosophy, sometimes even designing items for the collection.
Four exclusive pieces to celebrate 40 years of Police
Police inaugurates 2023 with a Limited-Edition Collection of four specifically-designed exclusive products, which represent the maximum expression of the brand’s style in all product categories. A sunglasses style, two watches combined with a bracelet or wallet and a fragrance. All in limited numbers. Just 1,983 pieces for each style, in honour of the brand's founding year.
The style of the collection is more iconic than ever and the products embody its audacity - a key brand value, today celebrated with the new ‘Audacity Wanted’ campaign.
The essential common denominator of the capsule collection constitutes the chromatic codes linked to Police’s identity and past: in addition to the ever-present blue, black and gold are the predominant hues.
To render the four pieces even more unique, they feature both the new ‘Police 40’ logo - developed for the anniversary and designed by re-visiting the historic eagle - and the serial number engraved onto the products. The capsule collection is accompanied by an exclusive case, consisting of a rigid box with leather finish and elegant gold and black velvet details on the inside.
Police’s success reflects De Rigo’s passion and commitment
“Forty years ago, Police was born as a bit of a gamble. A passion and great enthusiasm, fuelled by a strong sense of commitment. The same that we have since taken forward and applied to all of our projects for the brand. A winning mix that has enabled us to transform this adventure into a global success story in terms of both public support and sales. And the adventure continues... One of the decisive elements in the affirmation of Police as a lifestyle brand has been the ability to develop licenses in different product categories. A strategy that will be further implemented with the creation of new collaborations, and which will also be enriched by an ambitious Retail project through the opening of stores dedicated to the Police world. These forty years have been characterised by strong emotions and were filled with continuous satisfactions for the De Rigo Group”, commented Michele Aracri, CEO of De Rigo.
“The Police story is an extraordinary tale of different elements, well and truly brimming with surprises. This brand’s strong identity - recognisable for its various lifestyle characteristics - has always been paired with its brilliant ability to engage and know how to re-invent itself as a new icon, representing all those values that are found in contemporary society: freedom, audacity and independence”. Barbara De Rigo, Chief Marketing Officer at De Rigo.