Some brands are created by men in suits, sitting in a boardroom discussing market analysis and the bottom line. And some are borne of passion, determination and an intrepid spirit that fuels a crazy dream. LGR eyewear is one such brand – a label steeped in family history, romanticism, curiosity, adventure, and the triumph of old-fashioned craftsmanship over high-tech mass production.
In fact the story behind LGR eyewear could be the plot of a glamorous Hollywood film. In 2005, Luca Gnecchi Ruscone, then a dapper 23-year-old fresh out of university, accompanied his grandfather on a trip from Rome to the house and optical store in the Eritrean capital, Asmara, which the family had owned for many decades. His grandfather had moved to Africa in the 1930s to work as a photographer and had imported cameras, lenses and, ultimately, sunglasses from Italy. These he commissioned from a small family-owned factory where they were made by hand to a fantastically high standard. But these beautiful sunglasses did not survive the upheavals of the era – the factory was forced to close in 1968 due to the rise of new technologies and industrial methods with which it could not compete; Ruscone’s family left Eritrea soon afterwards, as civil war took hold.
The optical store remained open but the remaining supply of sunglasses lay forgotten in a warehouse – until, during their trip, Ruscone stumbled across a pair in his grandfather’s office. He was immediately drawn to their strong lines, solid frames and exquisite craftsmanship. He searched the family warehouse and found several more pairs, still in great shape, with undamaged frames and crystal lenses in unusual green and brown tones. These designs, and the artistry behind them, evoked the romanticism of a different era – as he puts it: ‘The merging of two worlds; the adventure of Africa with the glamour of the Riviera.”
Ruscone took the sunglasses back to Italy and started wearing them – only to find that, every time he did so, someone would offer to buy them. Realising he was not the only one to be enchanted by their old-fashioned charm, he dreamt of putting them back into production. But maintaining their integrity – a combination of classic styling, high-end materials and authentic, skilled craftsmanship – proved difficult. The big, modern factories he approached were unable to reproduce them to the same impressive standard and, ultimately, there seemed only one answer: to track down the original manufacturers. Searching through his grandfather’s paperwork he found an invoice from the 1950s, which provided an address. He turned up at the door and, to his delight, found the same family still living at the property – with fond memories of his grandfather. Eventually, he persuaded them to reopen for business, some 40 years after they had closed, as they thought, for good.
And thus the same craftsmen, using the same machines, the same techniques and many of the same materials, set to work again, to produce glasses and sunglasses under the new LGR brand. And Ruscone was finally satisfied with the results: each frame is handmade from start to finish, usually by one individual; a specific composition of cellulose acetate allows the frames to be shaped without heating, ensuring impressive strength and durability; and they are hand-polished in three separate steps for an exceptionally glossy finish.
While such old-school methods are employed, Ruscone has taken advantage of modern technology to ensure that LGR lenses offer excellent visual clarity and are exceptionally scratch and impact resistant. LGR’s polarised crystal lenses are made from tempered mineral glass produced by world-renowned manufacturers Barberini and Carl Zeiss, and feature anti-reflective coating, infra-red protection and colour enhancement, giving 100% UV protection and wonderfully clear vision.
The superior quality of LGR glasses and sunglasses speaks for itself, of course – the LGR eyewear logo is only found on the interior of the frame and there is nothing showy or flashy about its designs. Shapes and colours are timeless and classic and, with each style named after an African city, they evoke a glowing nostalgia for the days when travel involved a heady mix of adventure, glamour, thrilling finds and a daredevil spirit. It’s no wonder that some of the world’s most design conscious but modest stars love them, with Charlotte Casiraghi, Michael Stipe, Mario Testino, Jefferson Hack and Daniel Craig among them.
Many brands claim the heritage label, but LGR eyewear truly has family legacy and the utmost respect for tradition at its heart. From design to manufacture, it is integrity, skill and the appreciation of beautiful, hand-made artefacts, passed down from generation to generation, which make LGR glasses and LGR sunglasses accessories to treasure.
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