If you’re already a client of Forrest you’ve no doubt been shown glasses from one of our favourite ranges – L.A. Eyeworks. This is a fabulous brand, founded by two inspirational female creatives. Last week one of these amazing women sadly passed away. But she leaves behind an incredible legacy.
Gai Gherardi, along with Barbara McReynolds, opened her first eyewear store on Melrose Place in Los Angeles in 1979, and from then on she was on a mission to make an impact in the world of glasses frames.
From hand drawn sketch to hand made frame
Frames designed by Gai Gherardi are immediately recognised for their bold shapes, and expressive use of colour. Each one is a limited-edition piece, and the design begins with a simple hand-drawn sketch. This is the first part of the processing producing a fabulous one of a kind frame! The actual manufacturing process involves using finest quality materials, including Japanese titanium and Italian acetate, fashioned using a combination of cutting edge technology and hand-finished crafting.
Famous frames for famous faces
For the past almost five decades L.A.Eyeworks have been seen on the faces of celebrities, performers, artists, and athletes, but they are not designed with the famous in mind – they are designed for anyone who appreciates beautiful, bold design, vibrant colour and excellent quality.
In addition to ground-breaking eyewear designs, L.A.Eyeworks has always tried to redefine the norms when it comes to the world of glasses – from creating two unique retail spaces in LosAngeles, in which to showcase the collection, but also carefully considering the cases and even cloths that accompany each L.A. Eyeworks frame that is sent across the world.
Gai Gherardi was an artist, her medium just happened to be eyewear. And as an artist she appreciated creativity in others and regularly commissioned artist-designed cleaning cloths, featuring striking conversation-piece designs – a step away from the conventional optician’s practice name and phone number.
A personal note here –my daughter, for an art course project designed a series of glasses cloths, and last year, at an eyewear show in Paris I got to present Gai with my daughter’s cloth. It was a definite thrill!
Another cornerstone of the L.A. Eyeworks brand is their famous ad campaign which has run since 1981 –a series of portraits photographed by Greg Gorman, featuring stunning black-and-white images of an eclectic mix of more than 200 high-profile celebrities, with by the legendary tagline,
“A face is like a work of art. It deserves a great frame!”
Thank you Gai Gherardi. Now that was a life well-lived!
