During World War II, Safilo was forced to produce only one type of eyewear, a celluloid frame in two colors - amber and reddish Havana brown - that were all sent to Germany.

In the 1970s, Safilo opened sales offices in various European countries, patented the Elasta hinge, and introduced a popular UFO model of sunglasses.

[12] In the 1980s, Safilo developed designer collections[13] and gained full control of the American eyewear company Starline Optical Corp.

[12] In 1989, Safilo started to produce Gucci's eyewear, and extended to more PPR-owned (today Kering) brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta and Alexander McQueen.

[12][14] In the 1990s, Safilo entered the Asian market, in Hong Kong, opened branches in more countries in Europe, South Africa, Japan and Brazil.

In 2020, the Safilo Group completed the acquisition of Blenders Eyewear and Privé Revaux, two digitally native brands powered by a strong e-commerce business model.