NEW YORK— Moscot, the eyewear retailer and supplier based here, has announced an expansion of the company’s partnership with their Mexican distributor, Independent Eyeware, to bring The Moscot Originals, Moscot Originals Sun, and Moscot Spirit Collections to South America.

Independent Eyeware will now have exclusive distribution rights for Moscot in select countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, starting in January 2012.

"Moscot has been carefully partnering with retail locations across the globe over the past several years, and with our almost instant popularity in Mexico, expanding to South America was the perfect next step for the Moscot brand," said co-president Wendy Simmons.

The Moscot Originals Collection of ophthalmic frames and sunglasses, based on styles from the company archives from 1930 to 1970, is designed to retain the authenticity of the original frame styles including real glass lenses in the sunglasses, traditional hardware, and lens colors that precisely duplicate the true old school colors first fabricated by the company in the 1940s. The Moscot Spirit Collection “combines the company’s nearly 100 years of eyewear expertise with its downtown New York City heritage” in ophthalmic eyewear and sunwear.