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l.a.Eyeworks

l.a. Eyeworks Logo

Original, often iconoclastic, and always invigorating, eyeglasses designed by l.a.Eyeworks are immediately recognized for their bold shapes, imaginative handling of materials, and expressive use of color.


“We design eyewear to celebrate the diversity of faces and the uniqueness of individuals. The glasses we make are sparks of our imagination. You complete these thoughts and bring the dreams of l.a.Eyeworks into being.” — Barbara McReynolds & Gai Gherardi


Designed in Los Angeles – Handcrafted in Japan & Italy

Established 1979

Shop Our In Stock Inventory Visit The l.a.Eyework Website

About

In addition to groundbreaking eyewear designs, l.a.Eyeworks has made an indelible stamp on the look and language of what an eyewear company can be. From streamlined architectural spaces to the cases that protect the frames, no detail is left untouched as a subject for creative investigation. New collections are introduced in the fall and spring each year, with occasional smaller mid-season introductions.


Although l.a.Eyeworks have graced the faces of celebrities, performers, artists, and athletes, the deeper intention is for you to find a frame that conforms to no fashion sensibility but your own.

Woman in a black and white patterned outfit wearing a pair of yellow octagon-shaped la Eyeworks frames
Five la Eyeworks frames in reds, purple, pink and neutral colors fanned out and layered over each other

Design & Craftsmanship

l.a.Eyeworks frames are designed in Los Angeles by the co-founders and co-owners of the company, Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi. Collections are produced in limited edition quantities, which allows the designers to make more creative shapes with imaginative colors and innovative surface treatments.


Because McReynolds and Gherardi were both seasoned opticians before they began designing eyewear, l.a.Eyeworks frames demonstrate a great understanding of facial proportions and the principles of making a comfortably fitting frame that can accommodate a wide range of prescriptions.

History & Awards

l.a.Eyeworks began on September 9, 1979 when Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi opened a single storefront on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California. The original whim for this adventure? To challenge the prevailing norms of eyewear with proposals for a new, provocative revelation of the face.


More than three decades and hundreds of frame designs later, l.a.Eyeworks remains a privately owned house of optical imagination, encompassing two namesake retail stores in Los Angeles and a wholesale company that channels its influential designs to a global network of independent opticians and retailers.

Man with a multi-color la Eyeworks frame holding pink carnations
Collage of iconic celebrities wearing l.a. Eyeworks frames

Iconic l.a.Eyeworks Portrait Campaign

The ad campaign that changed optical history! Thrust into immediate notoriety in the early ’80s, l.a.Eyeworks’ beloved portrait campaign continues to this day, comprising an astonishing array of more than 200 provocative personalities captured with timeless artistry by photographer Greg Gorman and transformed by the groundbreaking eyewear designs of Barbara McReynolds and Gai Gherardi.

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