SAFILO GROUP:
STRONG GROWTH IN NET SALES AND EARNINGS
NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER APPOINTED


Padua, April 2, 2002 – Good growth achieved by the Safilo Group which closes 2001, not an easy year by any means, with net sales of 845 million euro, 23% up on 2000.
Operating income for 2001 comes to 125 million euro, 28% up on last year's figure, while net income amounts to 70 million euro, +41%.

Safilo's Board of Directors has appointed Roberto Vedovotto as the Group's new chief executive officer. Roberto Vedovotto will work alongside Giannino Lorenzon who has held the same position since 1986.

The new chief executive officer comes from Morgan Stanley Int. Ltd. and, among other things, will be following closely the Group's corporate finance and new business development activities.

Vittorio Tabacchi, Safilo's chairman, comments with satisfaction the excellent results achieved in 2001: "In a year marked by an extremely serious international crisis, not only from an economic point of view, we managed to achieve the objectives that we had set ourselves, continuing to grow at the same rate in all our markets. During the current year we are counting on being able to continue pursuing the same expansion strategy and the same rate of growth, helped by the fact that we have upgraded the distribution structure and improved our sales results; these results will undoubtedly be boosted by the new collections, including those of Christian Dior for men, soon to be presented, and the Yves Saint Laurent collection launched recently with considerable success at the Vision Expo fair in New York, as well as Saks Fifth Avenue, a line devoted exclusively to the US market."

Safilo is present on the world market through exclusive distributors and 24 sales branches in the main countries (USA, Europe and the Far East), with new companies being set up recently in Malaysia, Singapore and India.
The SAFILO GROUP operates on the world eyewear market with its own brands, namely Safilo, Smith, Carrera, Oxydo, and Blue Bay, as well as with the designer-licensed brands Gucci, Polo Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Diesel, Valentino, Oliver by Valentino, Max Mara, Pierre Cardin and Burberry. On the American market with Fossil, Nine West, Kate Spade and Saks Fifth Avenue.

For more information:

Safilo Group
Ester Novello
Tel. 049 6985111

This press release is also available on the Company's website: www.safilo.com