Posts written by Luca

Nina and Raffaello Bini

Raffaello Bini in Massawa, 1936.

Grazie per la forza e l’esempio che mi dai, ogni giorno vado avanti e penso a te.

Tanti, tantissimi auguri.

Luca

As soon as I walked through the doors I saw an empty lit catwalk , surrounded by hundreds of people: photographers, journalists, critics, actors and editors, all excitedly taking their seats. I saw the whole fashion show as one, and I was proud to be part of it with L.G.R and as one of the protagonists. When the music started and the first models appeared on the catwalk , it was an incredible rush of happiness. Nearly every model was wearing a pair of L.G.R sunglasses which created a perfect harmony with the beautiful outfits by Antonio Marras. It was great to see the spectators surrounding me with their enthusiastic reactions to the collection. The show was a success, the clothes were amazing, and the sunglasses were a hit!

Antonio Marras sporting Asmara's

Here is Mr.Marras at his showroom in Paris. As you can see, he is a big fan of the “Asmara” frames!

Heavy Machinery

This is the embossing machine used to print the logo of our proud collaboration inside the frames.

This is the pantograph, were each frame is obtained by carving a slab of acetate. Hanging on the wall there are the different models and on left hand side the slabs ready to be cut. The pantograph is operated by one man and it takes a few minutes to shape one frame.

This is another picture from our artisanal laboratory in Italy, were we produce all of our frames one by one by hand.

Once the first prototype is made the slabs of acetate are pantographed by hand and cut into shape to make the frontal part of the frames. These, on the picture, are the frontals of model Khartoum Avana, ready to be polished in the tumblers and mounted with the arms and hinges.

Prototype Design

L.G.R frames are all designed by hand, we don’t use computers. I still don’t know if this is a good or a bad thing!

In order to make the last corrections to a prototype, we go back to the drawing and adjust it by changing millimetric features and forms.

Eva Herzigova

Eva Herzigova in Ibiza wearing Casablanca Black. What a great picture!

Thank you Marpessa! XXX

Every year on the 2nd of January there is a race between the local Dhows of Lamu in Kenya.

Dhows are traditional sailing boats used for transport and for fishing. They have one or more lateen, triangular sails made of heavy cotton.

This year I was there to witness this spectacular event. As always when I travel to Africa I bring with me polarized L.G.Rs. I was on a sailing boat following the race that lasted for more than three hours. The sun was very, very strong, the wind made it easyier to bear the high temperature, but the sunlight was just too strong. I would have not been able to see the whole race under those extreme sunlight conditions. Once again I must recognize and appreciate the quality of L.G.R polarized lenses.

Good luck and happy new 2010!

Rio de Janeiro - Picture taken by Donata Pizzi

Happy birthday to Oscar Niemeyer, one of the greatest architects living today. He just turned 102 yers old!

The great architect is wearing L.G.R model Khartoum in Rio de Janeiro, while Emma is wearing model Keren.

Happy Birthday Mr. Niemeyer!

We hope you can continue to create while you will always inspire new generations.

Paris, Silmo 2009 trade show

Our clients came to Paris to see the new collection and many new international opticians were enthusiastic to discover L.G.R.

It was a challenge for us to keep the strength and autenticity of the first collection and to meet the high expectations of our very special clients.

The second day into the show, me and Tomaso were celebrating the success and were happy about the new reached goals.

Tommy and Luca

This picture was taken in Paris during men’s fashion week in 2007.  It was the first time that we presented L.G.R’s collection to the public. Me and Tommaso were at Area, a showroom for independent designers and creators. We got a space and a table set up were we displayed the sunglasses.

Area 2007, The Beginning

I was shy talking to fashion buyers about Africa, my grandfather and about the craft production behind L.G.R sunglasses. But, by the end of the show, we got the compliments of many people and everyone was congratulating Tommaso and me. We counted the many orders, the business cards and the appointments we got; we looked at each other not believing it. It was a success and it was just the beginning!